Working with Hold Requests

When a patron wants a title that is not available at your library, but is owned by your library system, you or the patron can place a request for the title (title-level hold) or a specific copy of the title (item-level hold). Your library may also allow first available copy requests Hold requests for specific issues of a serial title (such as the May 2015 issue of Horticulture Magazine ) or specific parts of a multi-part title (such as the first season of a television series on DVD). on a specific issue of a serial or a specific part of a multi-part set.

The request is then sent to designated libraries in a specified order through Requests-To-Fill (RTF Requests-To-Fill or RTF processing sends hold requests to designated libraries in a specified order. A library chooses to fill or deny the request. The request is routed until it is filled, it expires, or every library denies it.) processing. A library can choose to fill or deny a request. To fill a request, the library checks in the item and sends it to the pickup library. Then, the item is checked in at the pickup library and held for the patron.

The RTF process is one way that hold requests are filled. In addition, whenever an item that fills a hold request is scanned at circulation, you see an alert message with appropriate instructions. If an item is scanned at the request’s pickup library, you typically hold the item. If an item is scanned at any other library, you typically ship the item to the pickup library.

Your library sets holds processing options in Polaris Administration. Specific permissions are required to create and work with hold requests. See Set fine receipt options.