Time to Holdshelf Table

The Time to Holdshelf table specifies temporary status messages to display for items recently checked in at their pickup locations. The system displays the message from the Time to Holdshelf table instead of the status "Ready for pickup" when patrons view holds in the WebPAC or in Express Lane. For example, you can use the Time to Holdshelf table to display a status of "Available Soon" for two hours after an item is checked in at the pickup location. This gives library staff time to transfer items to your library's designated hold pickup area and can prevent patrons from looking for items that might not yet be ready for pickup. In Sierra 5.4 and later, you can delay the generation of pickup notices using this same time value.

You can access the Time to Holdshelf table via the following menu path:

For information on modifying this table, see Maintaining System Parameter Tables and Maintaining Circulation Parameters.

For more information, see Functionality Information and Data Elements.

Functionality Information

When viewing and modifying the Time to Holdshelf table, note the following:

Maximum Number of Entries

The Time to Holdshelf table can contain a maximum of 400 entries.

Table Read Top to Bottom

The system reads the Time to Holdshelf table from top to bottom. General entries (such as those that contain wildcards) should appear lower in the table than more specific entries.

Applies Only to Standard Circulation and ILL Items on Holdshelf

The system displays status messages from the Time to Holdshelf table only for standard circulation and ILL items with a STATUS of '!' (ON HOLDSHELF). The table does not apply to INN-Reach items.

Data Elements

Entries in the Time to Holdshelf table contain the following data elements:

Element	Description
Location	The location to which the entry applies. Possible values are a location from the Hold Pickup Locations table or a wildcard code ????? or * to represent all locations.
HHH:MM	The length of time, in hours and minutes, to display the message. Entries must be in the form h:mm, hh:mm, or hhh:mm, where 'h' represents hours and 'm' represents minutes.
Message	A message to display for available items that match the criteria specified in the Location and HHH:MM elements. You can enter up to 80 characters. However, the number of characters that the system displays depends on several factors, such as which fields your library has chosen to display in the WebPAC and screen resolution in Express Lane.
Delay Notices	Radio buttons that determine whether Sierra delays the generation of hold pickup notices until the time specified by the HHH:MM element has expired. The default setting is no.