New title holds

From: Swalley, Lin - HPL
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2013 4:34 PM
To: HPL - NL Staff
Subject: New title holds

Happy New Year to everyone! 

With the beginning of a new year, it seems a good time to remind everyone that our customers are our primary focus—and with that in mind, I am writing to ask you to not place holds anymore, unless an item record is attached to the bibliographic record.

A number of new items are in the process of being ordered, however the orders may not have been sent yet and no item record is attached.  Some, if not all, of these records  are visible in the public catalog, and customers can see them.  However, our customers are not able to place a hold until item records are attached, even though the records they see in the catalog make it clear that SOMEONE is placing holds before the titles are available to the public --  and the SOMEONE is a staff member, placing the hold in Millennium.   In order for the catalog to allow a hold--even a bib-level hold-- an item record must be present.  The presence of the item record signals the computer that the order has been placed and holds are allowed to be made by customers.

Placing holds in Millennium before the material is available to our customers through the catalog puts us in the position of having to explain or justify why some people can place holds while others can’t—not a good situation public  relations-wise, and, while those who do it probably do not intend this, it is an unfair practice. This came to my attention because a customer posed the question, why can’t she place a hold too??    

Staff privileges do not permit us to have an unfair advantage (actual or perceived) in placing holds on items in the catalog.  If items are unavailable to our general customer population to place holds, they are unavailable to us staff for placing personal holds, too.  To avoid inadvertently placing a hold on a title that is not yet available to be held, it is recommended that you place holds through the catalog—the catalog will allow you to place the hold if the material is available. Your chances of placing a hold early on are still very good even if placing it through the catalog makes it more competitive.  Continue to place “bib” holds though.  That way the first available item will be sent your way.

Thanks for your attention.

Lin Swalley

Coordinator of Collection Development