Set Holds Options: Enable Hold Requests by Patrons and Define Restrictions

To define hold request processing options for PAC, item-level, and 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)., and to set restricted item statuses:

1. In the Administration Explorer tree view, open the Parameters folder for the organization, and click the Request tab in the details view.

2. Double-click Holds options. The Hold Options dialog box - Requests tabbed page appears.

3. If applicable, set Polaris PowerPAC and Mobile PAC title-level hold request options:

• Enable title level hold requests from PowerPAC and Mobile PAC - Select this box to allow hold requests from Polaris PowerPAC and Mobile PAC. If this option is not checked, patrons cannot place title-level requests in either application.
• Default pickup branch - Select the default location for patrons to pick up their held items. This option sets the default only. A patron can select a different location when placing a request from among those you have designated as pickup libraries. See Set Holds options: Pickup library options. When the default setting is None and the patron selects a pickup branch the first time, or changes the current setting, a message offers to use the selected location until it is changed again. The patron can choose to use the new setting or keep the old one. (The patron can change the setting at any time.) The system uses the setting for the patron’s registered branch.

Note:
You can completely suppress request and availability information options from PowerPAC and Mobile PAC search results for specific types of material. See Suppressing Request and Availability Options.

• Enable one-click requests in PowerPAC - Select this option to enable one-click hold requests from PowerPAC. When this option is selected, logged in patrons can place requests by clicking on the ONE CLICK REQUEST button.

4. If applicable, set Polaris PowerPAC Children’s Edition title-level hold request options:

• Enable title level hold requests from Children’s PAC - Select this box to allow hold requests from Polaris PowerPAC. If this option is not checked, patrons cannot place title-level requests in Polaris PowerPAC Children’s Edition.
• Default pickup branch - Select the location for patrons to pick up their held items. In Polaris PowerPAC Children’s Edition, patrons cannot select a different location when placing a request. Be sure the location you select is allowed as a pickup library for this organization, and do not set the default to None. See Set Holds options: Pickup library options. The system uses the setting for the patron’s registered branch.

5. Select an option under Manage item requests to set your policies for item-level requests on monographic materials, specific issues of serial titles, and specific parts of multi-part titles:

• Do not allow item requests from PAC - When this option is selected, the item-level request icon never appears in PAC search results. Patrons cannot place any monographic item-level, serial issue, or part-level requests.
• Allow item requests from PAC (default) - When this option is selected, the item-level request icon appears in the availability view of PAC search results for all item records that have not been restricted from filling holds, and patrons can place requests on specific items. The illustration shows a sample PAC display.

• Limit item requests to first available copy - Select this option when you want to allow hold requests on specific issues of serial titles; specific parts of multi-part sets; or both, but you do not want to allow any other item-level requests. Then, select one of the following options:

  • Allow requests on serials in PAC and Staff Client - Select this option to allow item-specific requests on an issue of a serial or standing order An order placed with a vendor or the publisher directly for all publications in a series, all volumes in a set, or all publications of a single publisher. part (such as an issue of Wired or a volume of Fodors) and prevent title-level requests on these same titles (preventing patrons from accidentally requesting any issue of Time). See First Available Copy Requests on Serials.
  • Allow requests on multi-part sets in PAC and Staff Client - Select this option to allow patrons to request the first available copy of a multi-part set. See First Available Copy Requests and Multi-Part Titles.

  Note:
  If your library uses enriched EDI ordering, see Holds for On-Order Multi-Volume Sets.

  • Both - Select this option to allow item-specific requests on serial issues and multi-part sets.

Note:
Regardless of how your item request options are set, if you have enabled title-level requests in the PAC, the title-level Request option is displayed. When a patron selects this option, the system will direct the patron to place a request at the item level if appropriate (as for Time Magazine). If your settings prevent item-specific or first-available-copy requests, the option to request will only be available at the title level.

6. To prevent items with specific statuses from filling hold requests, select the appropriate checkboxes for the statuses.

If an item that could otherwise fill a hold request has a circulation status that you have designated as ineligible (such as Missing), the item is ineligible to fill requests when hold requests are placed and requests are routed. However, the item can be trapped An item is said to be trapped for a hold when an item that fills a request is scanned at circulation and the system links the item to a specific request, either automatically or by displaying a message that prompts you for a decision. for a hold at check in.

Tip:
You can also restrict specific items from filling hold requests according to various conditions. See Restrict holds on specific items.

If you specify that items with the status of In should not fill hold requests, the staff client user receives a warning message if any item is In at the pickup branch. (Items with a status of In at other branches do not block the request.) The staff user can override the warning and continue to place the hold request, but requests from PAC are blocked.

Items with a status of Provisional or Deleted are automatically filtered from holds processing.

7. Click Apply to save your settings and continue to work with holds options settings, or click OK to save your settings and close the Holds options dialog box.

Related Information

You can allow patrons to place multiple hold requests at once from their working or saved title lists in Polaris PowerPAC. See Bulk Hold Requests from Polaris PowerPAC Title Lists.