Viewing Outstanding Holds

The View Outstanding Holds function applies to Sierra 5.2 and earlier. If you are using a later version of Sierra, see Managing Outstanding Holds.

To perform the steps described in this page, you must be assigned the following permissions:

Permission Enables you to:
161 (View patron records) View patron records.
101 (View bib records) View bib records.
121 (View item records) View item records.
781 (View volume records) View volume records (if your library has acquired the Volume Level Holds product).

Note that if your library has enabled the Optional Circulation Permissions feature for View Outstanding Holds, you must be assigned permission 1059 (View Outstanding Holds) to access this function.

For more information, see Permissions Used by Sierra.

Viewing the holdshelf allows you to get a daily count of the number of books on the holdshelf. You can also use view outstanding holds on a weekly basis to find holds for bibliographic or volume records that no longer have any holdable items, for items that are billed or claimed returned, and for high-demand items whose holds are not filled in a timely manner.

To view outstanding holds:

  1. Select View Outstanding Holds from the Function list. The system displays the Limit Display To and Pickup Location panes.
  2. In the Limit Display To pane:
    1. Modify the Holds placed before date if you want to view holds placed before a different date. Today's date displays by default.
    2. Limit the list of results by selecting a category from the PATRN NAME drop-down list:
      • PATRN NAME (the default option)
      • Title
      • CALL#
      • Barcode
      • STATUS (that is, item status)
      • Item Location
      • Hold Status
    3. Enter the search string (title name, call number, etc.) by which to limit the list in the text box. When entering a limit for the STATUS option, enter the status label rather than the status code. For example, for the status "- CHECK SHELF", enter the label "CHECK SHELF", not the code "-".
  3. In the Pickup Location pane, choose the location(s) for which you want to view outstanding holds:
    • The location associated with your login in the Locations Served table (the default selection). For example: Main.
    • All locations.
    • To view outstanding holds for a different location, select the Select Location radio button and then choose a location from the Select Location drop-down list.
  4. Click View Outstanding Holds to generate the Outstanding Holds Report.

    When viewing this report, you can:
    • Sort the entries in the table. By default, the system sorts the table by hold status, then by title. To sort the table manually, click the top of each column.
    • Increase the number of rows that display on screen by moving up the divider between the report summary and the table of entries.
    • View more information about a specific hold:
      1. Right-click the entry in the table. The system displays an options menu.
      2. Choose one of the following options:
        View Patron
        Retrieves the patron record and displays it in a separate window.
        View Item
        Retrieves the item record and displays it in a separate window.
        View Bib
        Retrieves the bibliographic record and displays it in a separate window.
        View Volume
        Retrieves the volume record and displays it in a separate window. This option displays only if your library has acquired Volume Level Holds.
    • Print the report by clicking Print or selecting the Print Report from the right-click menu. This printout includes all columns, both those visible on the screen and those accessible via toggle. If you have sorted the table, the list prints the way you have sorted it.

      Once you have printed the report, you can cancel or transfer holds for items that are no longer holdable.
See also:
Managing Defunct Holds