Entering Title-level Hold Information

If your library set the Holds: Streamline multiple holds for 1 patron circulation option to "YES" and you place title-level holds for a patron from the Holds tab, Sierra automatically uses the pickup location, not-wanted-before date, and not-wanted-after date you specify for any subsequent holds you place for this patron. However, Sierra does not retain these settings after you close the patron record.

Note that if your library uses the optional Library Priority Table and copies are available, entering a title-level hold does not place a hold on the copy returned soonest. The system places a hold on the available item with the highest priority in the Library Priority table. However, if no items are available or if the available item's branch location has a priority of 0, the system does place a hold for the copy returned soonest. Note that if your library uses the Library Priority table, you should set the Holds: Allow multiple title-level holds for 1 patron circulation option to "NO."

If your library set the Holds/Bookings: Display Patron Name and/or Record Number circulation option to "NAME", "NUMBER", or "BOTH", Sierra displays the specified patron information when you place a title-level hold using the Search/Holds function.

The No. of Holds field appears when you place a title-level hold only if your library has set the Holds: Allow multiple title-level holds for one patron circulation option to "YES." Sierra does not allow multiple bibliographic holds on one bibliographic record for a single patron if this option is set to "NO."

The Library Priority Table and Title-level Holds

If your library uses the optional Library Priority Table and copies are available, entering a title-level hold does not place a hold on the copy returned soonest. The system places a hold on the available item with the highest priority in the Library Priority table. However, if no items are available or if the available item's branch location has a priority of 0, the system does place a hold for the copy returned soonest. Note that if your library uses the Library Priority table, you should set the Holds: Allow multiple title-level holds for one patron circulation option to "NO."

Enter information for the hold you are placing in the Place a Title-level Hold dialog box. This dialog contains the following fields:

Patron

Number of Holds

Pickup Location

Limit to Location

Not Wanted Before

Not Wanted After

Hold Note

Patron

If the Holds/Bookings: Display Patron Name and/or Record Number circulation option is set to display patron information, the specified information appears at the top of the dialog box. The possibilities are: patron name and record number, patron name only, or patron record number only.

Number of Holds

If the Holds: Allow multiple title-level holds for one patron circulation option is enabled, you can place multiple bibliographic-level holds on one bibliographic record for a single patron. You can place multiple holds for one patron whether or not you page the title, and you can cancel any or all of these holds at one time.

To specify the number of holds on this title for the patron, enter a number between 1 and 99.

If the number specified in the MAX HOLDS field for the patron's P TYPE is higher than the number you entered, Sierra displays the number you entered in the No. of Holds field.
If the number specified in the MAX HOLDS field for the patron's P TYPE is lower than the number you entered, Sierra prompts you to override the MAX HOLDS block.
To override the MAX HOLDS block, you must be assigned permission 92 (Override holds block). For more information, see Permissions Used By Sierra.
- If you choose OVERRIDE, Sierra displays the number you entered in the No. of Holds field.
- If you choose Do Not Override, Sierra reduces the number in the No. of Holds field to the maximum number of holds that the patron is allowed according to the MAX HOLDS field.

MAX HOLDS Override

If you attempt to add a hold to a patron record, but the patron has already exceeded the number of holds allotted by the MAX HOLDS field, Sierra prompts you to override the MAX HOLDS block at that point and does not prompt you again to override this block for the current hold being placed.

Pickup Location

The setting of the Limit pickup locations to those in the Hold Pickup Locations table Holds option determines whether you can choose a location from the Hold Pickup Locations or Branch (location) codes table.

Pickup at Item Location Feature

If the Pickup at Item Location feature is enabled, you cannot specify a pickup location for title-level holds. The system automatically assigns a blank pickup location. When an item becomes available that can satisfy the title-level hold, that item's location (from the item record's LOCATION field) becomes the pickup location.

Enabled

If the Limit pickup locations to those in the Hold Pickup Locations table option is enabled, you can choose from the locations defined in the Hold Pickup Locations table. Sierra suggests a default location that matches your Locations Served.

Disabled

If the Limit pickup locations to those in the Hold Pickup Locations table option is disabled, you can choose from the locations defined in the Branch (location) codes table:

If the Locations Served assigned to your user is a valid list of locations, Sierra automatically displays the first location from this Locations Served list.
If the Locations Served assigned to your user is an invalid list of locations, Sierra displays the location from the patron record's HOME LIBR field.
If neither of these sources contain a valid location, Sierra displays the location from the LOCATION field of the first item record attached to the bibliographic record.

To choose a different location:

Place the cursor in the Pickup Location field and double-click or press the spacebar. Sierra displays a dialog box of the locations defined in the Branch (location) codes table.
Select a location and choose the OK button.

Item Home Pickup

If the HOMEPICKUP element of the loan rule is set to 'y', Sierra ensures that the pickup location matches the owning location of the item that satisfies the hold, regardless of the location specified in the Place a Title-level Hold dialog box.

Limit to Location

If the patron wants to limit a title-level hold to the first item returned at a specific location, you can specify that location here. Sierra places the patron in the hold queue for the first copy returned to (and belonging to) the location specified.

Holds Limited to One Location Not Pageable

If you limit a hold to one location, Sierra does not enable you to page for that title.

Not Wanted Before

The patron can specify a date before which Sierra should not place the hold. The Not Wanted Before date can be up to 180 days from the day the patron places the hold.

Not Wanted After

The patron can specify a date after which the hold request will expire. If the hold is still active after this date, but is not yet on the holdshelf, Sierra removes this hold when you clear expired holds.

Specifying a Default Not Wanted After Date

You can enable Sierra to display a default date in the Not Wanted After field. The system calculates the default date based on the number of days specified in the login's Default Not Wanted After Date Holds option.

Hold Note

Enter an informational note of up to 126 characters. Hold notes appear when you view the holds for a patron or the holds on a bibliographic or item record. Hold notes also appear on the paging slips that are printed when items are requested from other locations.