1.1. Hold Fulfillment in NC Cardinal

How does Evergreen Fulfill Hold Requests?

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Hold Fulfillment involves several steps: patrons request holds, eligibility is checked, and items are targeted or queued based on availability. The Holds Targeter prioritizing proximity. Holds can be limited based on shelving location, item record flags, or hold policies. Efficient processing of holds is crucial, with staff advised to run pull lists daily. Holds may be fulfilled through standard targeting and opportunistic capture as items are checked in. 

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Hold Fulfillment follows this basic process:

1. A patron requests a hold.
2. Evergreen checks to make sure the patron is eligible for that hold, and that at least one item in the consortium may be able to fulfill that hold.
3. An available item is targeted for the hold. 
4. If no item is available, the request is placed in a queue.
5. A targeted hold appears on the owning library's Hold Pull List.
6. The library pulls the item and captures it. If the library fails to pull it within ~24 hours, it's re-targeted. A new item is identified and appears on a new pull list.
7. The item is sent to the hold shelf, or placed in transit to the pickup library.
8. If the item is not checked out within seven days, it expires. 

How the Targeter Works

Once a patron places an eligible hold request, they are added to a queue. If there are patrons in the hold queue, the Evergreen Hold Targeter begins to search for a specific copy to fulfill that hold. It targets in the following order:

1. Items owned by the pickup branch
2. Items owned by other branches in the system
3. Items owned by libraries outside the system, adjusted for proximity

If there is not an available copy at the branch level, the targeter moves on to the system level. If there is not an available copy in the system, it will begin to target in the wider consortium, beginning with systems that are closest by geographic proximity.

When an item is targeted for a hold, it will show up on the owning library's Holds Pull List. If the target library does not act on the hold within 24 hours, the hold will automatically retarget and a new target copy and location are identified.

Blocking Holds

There are three ways that holds can be limited in NC Cardinal:

• through the shelving location
• through flags in the item record
• through hold policies. 

If any of these three indicates that the item cannot circulate, then NC Cardinal will block the hold. 

Opportunistic Capture

When an item with an active hold request is scanned for checkin, that item will be targeted for the next hold in line. However, if there is a hold request for pickup at the branch where the copy is checked in, that hold request will move to the top of the queue. This reduces the amount of time items spend in transit, thereby moving through the queue more quickly.

Daily Pull List

The 24-hour targeter is part of the reason it is important for staff at all Cardinal libraries run their pull list every morning that the library is open and get everything pulled and scanned right away. There are often lots of patron holds placed overnight. At least once a day is necessary; twice is even better. The targeter re-evaluates every 24 hours, even if the library is closed. 

There are actually two ways an item can be targeted/captured to fill a hold. The second way is called opportunistic capture, which means that, when an item that is eligible to fill a hold is checked in, Evergreen may immediately target that item and put it into transit to the pickup library for a patron. Those two functions act in concert to fill holds.

There has sometimes been a misconception among some staff that a targeted item shows up on multiple pull lists at the same time because, by the time the library pulls the item from the shelf and scans it on the check in screen, Evergreen says to put the item back on the shelf rather than targeting a hold. That usually happens because there was a gap between the time the hold list was run/printed and the time the item was actually pulled and scanned. In that gap, someone at another branch had checked in an eligible item and Evergreen targeted that item instead. Only one item is targeted at a time and shows up on only one pull list at a time. 

Hold Limits

Hold limits are rather complex, and unfortunately there is nothing as simple as checking a box to indicate whether a particular hold policy should or should not apply to a particular patron group or item. There are hold policies that apply to your library patrons which may be set to limit your patrons to 10 holds. However, the consortium sharing limit on holds is 25, so there cannot be holds policies that block users at other libraries from placing holds on books, audiobooks, and videos from your library up to that limit per patron. In other words, you can have policies that limit your own patrons to 10 holds, but not other consortium library patrons.

In Evergreen, hold policies do not consider the circulation modifier when applying the max hold limit to determine whether a hold is permissible. Evergreen only considers how many holds the patron currently has, regardless of whether the circulation modifier of the items on hold matches the circulation modifier for the max hold limit on the hold policy applying to the hold the patron is placing. So, if a library has set a hold limit of 1 for TECHNOLOGY items, patrons will not be able to place a hold on those TECHNOLOGY items if they already have an active hold on anything else, regardless of the type of materials those other holds are for. Staff with Circ Lead or above permission group can override and place the hold for the patron, so it is something you will need to educate staff on, so that they are aware and prepared to override and inform patrons, as needed.

Which policy a particular hold request hits can be complex, as it involves many different factors — the particular patron account, permission group, item settings, shelving location, owning library, and pickup location — so it may be possible for a number of different hold policies to be eligible to apply to a patron's hold request, based on those factors. However, Evergreen will only choose one policy, based on weighting and then random selection if 2 or more policies have the same weight.

Messages for Unsuccessful Holds

Reason for Block	Explanation	Evergreen Error
The patron is barred	Barred patrons cannot place holds	actor.usr.barred
The item's circulation library does not fulfill holds	Circ library is skipped for hold targeting	circ.holds.target_skip_me
Hold rules reject this item as unholdable	Hold request hit a blocking policy	config.hold_matrix_test.holdable
The patron has reached the maximum number of holds	Hit a hold policy with a max holds lower than # of holds on patron record; max holds could be zero	config.hold_matrix_test.max_holds
The item is too new to transit this far	Item has active age hold protection in place	config.rule_age_hold_protect.prox
The item is not holdable	Item record is marked Holdable=False or Reference=True	item.holdable
The item's location is not holdable	Shelving location is marked Holdable=False or Reference=True	location.holdable
The item is not in a holdable status	Item status does not allow holds (see Item Statuses in Reports kb Appendix D)	status.holdable
The system could not find this item	Rare — haven't seen this one	no_item
The system could not find any items to match this hold request	No items in an Available or Checked out status (items could be Missing, Lost, Damaged, etc.)	no_ultimate_items
System rules do not define how to handle this item	Evergreen could not find a matching hold policy to allow/deny the hold request	no_matchpoint
The item cannot transit this far	Range from owning library is not compatible with hold pickup location	transit_range

 

 

1.2. Hold Policies

How Hold Policies Work

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Hold Policies are integrated settings governing the management and fulfillment of hold requests in libraries, based on patron, library, and item data. Key considerations include the owning and pickup libraries. Copy attributes, like circulation modifiers and Holdable? flags, also impact hold fulfillment. Patron data, particularly Profile Permission Groups, can restrict holds for certain demographics, such as juveniles. Library administrators can access and review their library's hold policies through the Local Admin page or by seeking assistance from the NC Cardinal team for clarification.

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Hold Policies are a set of integrated settings that control how holds are managed, targeted, and fulfilled. They are not applied directly to items, but insead utilize data about the patron, library, and record that work together to determine:

• If a hold can be placed
• What items may be targeted to fulfil a hold request

Libraries may have muliple policie that affect their items and patrons differently, based on how various factors interact. The main factors considered are:

• Library data
• Copy data
• Patron data

1.3. Age Hold Protection

Keeping New Materials Home with Age Hold Protection

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Age Hold Protection allows libraries to restrict holds on newly activated items from other libraries until they have been active for six months. It relies on two features: the Active Date and the Age Hold Protection Rule. Age Hold Protection expires automatically after the designated time, although it can be removed earlier by unsetting the attribute in the Holdings Editor. 

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Age Hold Protection enables libraries to block holds from being filled for patrons from other libraries until the item has been active for six months. It utilizes two features of the Item Attributes:

• Active Date
• Age Hold Protection Rule

How does Age Hold Protection Work

Age Hold Protection stops hold requests on newly activated items for pickup outside a library branch (3 month) or System (6 month).

 

Applying Age Hold Protection

When a newly purchased item is cataloged, regardless of its publication date, catalogers may add an Item Attribute of 6 month or 3 month Age Hold Protection:

Once the item is processed and checked in for the first time, an Active Date is set:

Active Date may be significantly different from Create Date because the Create Date is set automatically as soon as a library adds the holding, which may be on the date the item is ordered. For pre-ordered materials, or in the event of a shipping or cataloging backlog, the item may not be activated for several months.

Age Hold Protection will be in place from the date the item is first activated, until 3 or 6 months later. Active Dates may not be manually changed, so there is no way to adjust this time period.

What is 3 Month Age Hold Protection?

3 month age hold protect is both a shorter time frame, and a more limited scope. Items under 3 month Age Hold Protection cannot be targeted to fulfill holds outside the owning branch, even within the same system.

Once the 3 month time limit is up, libraries may switch to regular 6 month Age Hold Protection by selecting 6months from the drop down menu in the Holdings Editor for the item. This process can't be automated. 

Note: If 6 month Age Hold Protection is activated after an initial 3 month Age Hold Protection period, the start date for the 6 month countdown will still be the item's Active date. The newly added 6 month Age Hold Protection will end six months after the item's Active Date, regardless of when the 6 month delimiter was added.

FAQs

How can I remove Age Hold Protection?

Age Hold Protection will expire automatically 6 months after the item's Active Date. An autmated process will remove the attribute. In some cases, there may be a lag of 1-2 days between when the protection expires and when the attribute label is removed.

Of you need to remove protection earlier, you can do so by unsetting the attribute in the Holdings Editor.

Can I add Age Hold Protection to an item retroactively?

If circumstances cause renewed interest in a title that was added to your library's collection more than 6 months ago, you can't add Age Hold Protection again to keep the item home for your patrons. Adding the attribute will not impact the item's status for hold targeting if the Active Date is more than 6 months old.

Can I override Age Hold Protection when placing holds?

Users with Circulation Lead permissions may override an Age Hold Protection block at the time a hold request is placed. To do so, hit the override button to the ride of the blocking message in the hold request page:

However, this does not override the mechanism of Age Hold Protection. It allows the patron to enter the queue for the title, but their request will not be fulfilled until either their selected pickup library purchases a local copy of the title, or at least one copy attached to the bib record ages out of Age Hold Protection.

1.4. Holds and Resource Sharing

How Resource Sharing Requests are Managed and Fulfilled

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The consortium requires that libraries share all circulated books and AV materials, prohibiting restrictions on items like special collections. Items should remain accessible through holds in the consortium catalog. Libraries will keep holds for 7 days, with exceptions for short-term book club holds. New items under 6 months old can have hold protection, but once older, they must be shared. 

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The consortium has established a resource sharing policy that requires all libraries to share all books and AV materials that they circulate to their own patrons. Libraries cannot restrict particular items (such as Battle of the Books or other special collections) for use only by their own patrons. It was agreed by the membership that a library must circulate these items freely because patrons can easily place holds on these items in the catalog to be filled by any library in the consortium. It would not be fair for one or some libraries to restrict parts of their collections only to their own patrons when all libraries have agreed to share those items in the same way. Staff can create and share book lists with permalinks to the bib record in Evergreen that can be used by patrons or posted on the library's website, if desired. 

The consortium also has agreed to keep items on the holds shelf for patron pickup for 7 days. There is some leeway for special circumstances like book club holds, which are of a relatively short duration (usually no more than a month), and are being pulled together quickly by the coordinator for patrons’ convenience to immediately be checked out by the book club patrons. That is different from keeping items “On holds shelf” (or checked out to a library account) for months as a means to prevent any other library from using them via resource sharing.

If items are owned by a library system and new (less than 6 months old by active date), catalogers can put the 6-month age hold protection on those items, which prevents resource sharing. Once those items are more than 6 months old (such that 6-month age hold protection no longer applies), books and AV materials that circulate to your patrons should not be restricted from resource-sharing to patrons throughout the consortium. Circulation and reference staff can notify cataloging staff if bibliographic records need attention to correct issues. Sometimes, there are duplicate records that can be merged to create more target items to fill holds.

For an overview of the how the holds process functions with specific regard to resource sharing, you can visit this section of the Resource Sharing Knowledge Book.

Age Hold Protection

Age hold protection prevents new items from filling holds requested for pickup at a library other than the owning library for a specified period of time. The protection period when applied to an item record can start with the item record create date (default) or active date. NC Cardinal libraries primarily use a 6-month age hold protection period on newly published and newly purchased (older) items that limits holds to the owning library system based on the item’s active date, the date the item first has a status of Available in Evergreen. The active date will display in the staff client OPAC view and in the Item Status details.

If a cataloger applies the age hold protection label when the item record is created, the protection lasts for 6 months after the active date (first checkin to make the item Available to patrons). When the item is more than 6 months past the Active Date, it is available to fill holds for the entire consortium. An automatic process that runs daily removes the age hold protection label from the item once the 6-month age hold protection has expired. Age hold protection only applies to individual item records and cannot be configured in hold policies.

 

On Order Holds

Library customers hear or read about upcoming titles from their favorite authors and want to put the titles on hold. Libraries who do not use Acquisitions or have not previously entered on-order items may be using a paper tracking system to identify patrons who wish to place these popular items on hold, to be hand entered once the library receives the item. It would save circulation staff time to be able to place the hold immediately.

Patrons can place holds on on-order bibliographic records without restriction, since age hold protection only takes effect once a new item has an active date (once it is checked in with an Available/Reshelving status, when it will be targeted to fill holds). Staff and patrons may not be aware that they should search all of NC Cardinal to place holds whether or not the patron’s preferred pickup library has an on-order item. So, if a patron places a hold on a bib record for a new item, but the patron’s library system never purchased a copy, the hold will not be filled until items become available from other library systems after 6-month age hold protection has expired. Staff should educate patrons about the 6-month age hold protection function, so that patrons are aware of the potential wait time.

 

1.5. Opportunistic Capture

How Opportunistic Capture Impacts Hold Fulfillment

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Opportunistic Capture improves hold fulfillment efficiency by fulfilling local holds upon checkin, regardless of queue order. 

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Opportunistic Capture improves hold fulfillment efficiency by fulfilling local holds upon checkin, regardless of queue order. While this may result in some users "jumping the queue," it reduces transit times, resulting in shorter average wait times.

How Opportunistic Capture Works

When an item is checked in, Evergreen scans to see if it is eligible to fulfill a hold. The order of hold fulfillment is:

1. Local Holds: Hold requests with a Pickup Library that matches the branch where an item is scanned.
2. System Holds: Hold requests with a Pickup Library in the same system where an item is scanned.
3. Queue Order: The next user in the queue, regardless of location, if there are no active requests for pickup within the checkin library system.

1.6. Hopeless Holds

Holds that Have No Chance of Fulfillment Become "Hopeless"

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Copy Level Holds may become hopeless if the identified item transitions to a non-targeted state, while Title Level Holds become hopeless if all potential fulfilling items shift to non-targeted states. Evergreen offers automatic reports for Hopeless Holds via the Local Administration menu. Holds can be canceled or transferred from the report. 

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Holds can become hopeless in one of two ways:

1. Copy Level Holds can become hopeless if the single item identified to fulfill the hold request moves into a non-targeted state.
2. Title Level Holds can become hopeless if all potential items that could fulfill the hold move into a non-targeted state.

Holds may move out of the hopeless status if copies in non-targetable states change to available (for example, a copy marked Lost is returned by the patron and checked in), or if a new copy is purchased and attached to the title record. Staff can check to see if new targets have become available by selecting Find Another Target from the Action menu in the Hopeless Holds report.

Non-Targeted Hold States

Items in certain statuses will not be targeted for holds. These statuses include:

• Claimed Lost
• Claimed Returned
• Damaged
• Discard/Weed
• ILL
• Long Overdue
• Lost
• Lost and Paid
• Missing
• Natural Disaster
• Never Returned
• Noncirculating
• Repair

Pulling Hopeless Hold Reports

Evergreen has built-in, automatic reports listing Hopeless Holds. To access them, navigate to the Local Administration splash page from the Asministration menu in Evergreen.

1. Click on Hopeless Holds.
2. Set the date range for which you want to pull your lists. For example, if you pull the list once a week, your range should start 1 week previous and end on the date you pull the report.
   
3. Scope to your System if you want to pull a list of all hopeless holds at all branches, or Branch for a single location.
   
4. Cancel or Transfer holds by checking the box for the hold you want to edit and selecting the appropriate action from the Actions menu.
   

Transferring Hopeless Holds

If there are multiple title records that could potentially fulfill this hold, the best option is usually to merge any duplicate records. Merging records will transfer the origina holds to the new record. 

However, if another record could fulfill the hold, but is not a duplicate (for example, switching from a Playaway audiobook to a CD Audiobook), you can transfer the hold request to the newly identified title record.

1. Keep the Hopeless Holds report page up in one tab. In a new tab, navigate to the Catalog search in the staff client.
   
2. Search for the alternate record that could be used to fulfill this hold.
3. Click the title to open the Bibliographic Record.
4. Locate the Mark For... button on the top right side of the record page.
   
5. Select Title Hold Transfer from the Mark For menu.
6. Return to the Hopeless Holds Report tab. Select the title you will be transferring.
7. From the Actions menu, select Transfer to Marked Title.

You can check that the hold transfer was successful by clicking on the View Holds tab in the new record and looking for the hold there.

Note: Do not transfer a hold to a different format of the same title without conslting with the patron first to ensure they can accept that format type.

Cancelling Hopeless Holds

If no other options in the catalog will fulfill the hold, you can cancel the hold directly from the Hopeless Holds report.

1. Select the hold from the grid in the report.
2. Select Cancel Hold from the Actions menu.

1.7. Queue position

Viewing and Understanding the Hold Queue

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Staff may view the hold queue from a title record by adding the Queue Position column from the Column Picker in the View Holds tab. This position is based on request time, but may not be accurate due in part to the impact of Opportunistic Capture.

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The queue position may be viewed from the Title Record, in the View Holds tab.

1. Click on the gear icon to open the column picker.
   
2. Check the box next to Queue Position.
   

Note: In NC Cardinal, holds are not always fulfilled on a First In, First Out basis. See Holds Fulfillment for more information.

2.1. Holds Levels

Copy, Title, and Metarecord Holds (Hold Levels)

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There are five types of holds in Evergreen, known as hold levels, each targeting a specific pool of resources. Library staff can place holds at all levels, although they are advised to predominantly use Meta-Record or Title Holds to maximize the number of eligible copies, as Volume and Copy Holds significantly limit options. The document also defines terms like Metarecord, Title record, Monograph parts, Call number record, and Item record related to holds.

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There are five (5) different types of holds in Evergreen, referred to as hold levels. Each hold level targets a more specific pool of potential resources than the level above it. The five levels are:

1. Meta-Record Hold: A single Hold placed on multiple different bibliographic records. Any item attached to any record covered by the hold may be targeted to fulfil the hold.
2. Title Hold: This is the default hold type, in which a single hold is placed on all items attached to a specific bibliographic record. Any item that is marked as holdable on this record may be targeted to fulfil the hold.
3. Parts Hold: When Monographic Parts are used on a record, the hold request can identify a specific part for hold fulfilment. Any item marked as that part and attached to that record may be targeted to fulfill the hold.
4. Volume Hold: A single hold is placed on a specific call number. If there are multiple copies attached to that call number, any of them may be targeted to fulfill that hold.
5. Copy Hold: A single hold is placed on a specific barcode. Only that copy may be targeted to fulfill that hold.

All levels of holds can be placed by staff in the Staff Client. Patrons may place Meta-Record Holds, Title Holds, and Parts Holds in the OPAC. 

Placing Holds in the Staff Client

Library staff can place holds at all levels. In most cases, staff should avoid placing volume or copy holds, as doing so severely limits the number of potential copies eligible to fill the patron's hold (down to 1 or 2, in most cases). Instead, staff should place metarecord or title holds for patrons by default.

 

Metarecord: Compilation of individual bibliographic records that represent the same work (possibly in different formats). This compilation allows for several records to be represented on a single line on the search results page and allows the broadest number of potential copies to fill a patron hold for the first available copy of selected formats.

Title record: A single bibliographic record that contains MARC data about a work, such as title, author, and copyright date.

Monograph parts: A means of providing additional granularity within bibliographic records, primarily to enable patrons to place holds on individual parts of a set of differing items encompassed by the same published title.

Call number record (also called volume record): The record assigned to a library branch with one or more item records attached containing the call number for the work.

Item record: The record for a single copy of a work that is assigned a unique identification number (barcode) in the catalog.

 

 

2.2. Title Level Holds

Placing a Title Level Hold

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When placing a Title Hold, staff or patrons place a single hold on the Bibliographic Record, and any copy attached to that record may be eligible to fulfill that hold. Title Holds may be placed in the Staff Client or the OPAC. In the staff client, staff may startthe hold process fromthe patron's account, or directly in the catalog search. Users may also search for multiple titles and place holds in batch using the basket feature in either the staff client or the OPAC.

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Title Holds are the default hold type in Evergreen. A single hold is placed on the Bibliographic Record, and any copy attached to that record may be eligible to fulfill that hold. 

Title Holds may be placed in the Staff Client or the OPAC.

Placing Title Level Holds in the Staff Client

From the Patron Account:

1. Click on the Holds tab.
2. Click the Place Hold button.
   
3. This will open the Staff Catalog. Search for the title the patron wants to place a hold on.
4. Click the green Place Hold button in the result entry for the title.
   
5. This will open the Place Hold interface, with all patron details already selected. Change any details (pickup location, notification preferences, etc.) as needed.
6. Click the green Place Hold button underneath the patron notification details.
   
7. The Hold Status will change from Hold Pending to Hold Processing, and finally to Hold Succeeded in the grid below.
   

From a Catalog Search

1. Conduct a search for the title a patron wants to place a hold on.
2. Click the green Place Hold button in the result entry for the title.
   
3. This will open the Place Hold interface. Scan the patron's barcode, or use the Search for Patron button to locate the patron if they are making the request over the phone or simply don't have their card available.
   
4. Once the patron has been located, click the green Place Hold button underneath the patron notification details.
   
5. The Hold Status will change from Hold Pending to Hold Processing, and finally to Hold Succeeded in the grid below.
   

Placing Holds on Multiple Titles at Once

1. Conduct a search for the title a patron wants to place a hold on.
2. Check the box next to the title your patron wants.
   
3. Conduct the next search for the next title your patron wants to place a hold on.
4. Check the box next to the title your patron wants.
   
5. Continuing searching and checking until you have located all titles that your patron wants.
6. Open the Basket Actions menu at the top of the search results.
   
7. Select Place Hold from the drop-down menu.
8. This will take you into the Place Hold interface. Input your patron's information.
9. Click the green Place Hold button underneath the patron notification details.
   
10. The Hold Status will change from Hold Pending to Hold Processing, and finally to Hold Succeeded in the grid below.
    

Note: You can place holds on multiple titles even if you start from the patron's account. Just follow the same set of instructions starting with the first search after navigating into the search interface from the Place Hold button in the patron's account.

Placing Title Level Holds in the OPAC

Patrons may place title level holds from the OPAC, as long as they are able to log into their account.

1. Log into the OPAC using the patron barcode and PIN.
2. Conduct a search for the target titles as normal.
3. Click the Place Hold link beside the title on the search results list, or click the Place Hold link on the title summary screen.
   
4. This will open the Place Hold interface in the OPAC.
5. Make any changes to pickuplibrary or ctanct information.
6. Click Submit.

2.3. Volume and Copy Level Holds

Requesting Specific Copies with Copy or Volume Level Holds

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Staff may place holds on specific copies or volumes. Both hold types are only available in the Staff Client, and may be placed from the Item Table within the bibliographic record.

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Copy (Item) Level Hold

2.4. Holds using Monograph Parts

What are Monograph Parts?

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Monograph parts (or Monographic Parts) in Evergreen enhance patron flexibility for holds on multi-part items while consolidating them under a single bibliographic record. This is applicable to items like DVD boxed sets, where individual discs circulate separately, or any subset of items that don't represent the total bibliographic record, enabling patrons to place holds on specific parts rather than entire items. These holds are more efficient than copy-level holds, allowing patrons to request title-level holds that target available items with the same parts designation. To place a hold, patrons select the applicable part from a menu after retrieving the record for the item. The cataloging of Monograph parts adheres to NC Cardinal's controlled vocabulary, ensuring consistency across libraries. Staff are advised to report any items lacking proper designation for cataloging purposes.

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Monograph parts (also referred to as Monographic Parts or simply Parts) are a way for Evergreen to differentiate and provide patrons with more flexibility when placing holds on multi-part items encompassed by one title/bibliographic record. Examples might include a DVD boxed set of a TV season, for which individual discs circulate seperately. In this case, all the discs would be attached to the single bibliographic record referring to that season of the tv show, but patrons may borrow one disc at a time, and plce holds for the specific discs they want.

Not all libraries use Monograph Parts, but even patrons at libraries that do not cirectly use this designation may request specific parts when placing holds. Monograph parts labels are shared by all libraries in the consortium and should utilize NC Cardinal's controlled vocabulary established in Cataloging Best Practices. This allows parts holds to target the correct items.

Learn more about the cataloging side of this topic in the Monograph Parts chapter of the Cataloging Bibliographic Records book.

Why do we need Monograph Parts?

While call numbers often include information about which pieces the item represents, call number information can vary widely from one library to another and has no effect on hold fulfillment in Evergreen. Applying monograph parts to different items on a bibliographic record allows Evergreen to identify which items represent the same parts (regardless of owning library). Because Evergreen knows which items are the same, patrons can place title-level holds for specific parts and Evergreen will target any of the available barcode items with that part designation to fulfill the patron's hold with the specific material that they want.

Monograph parts holds are better than copy-level holds, since a copy-level hold can only be placed by staff and only targets the single barcoded item for which the hold was placed. Patrons can place monograph parts holds themselves on a title level, allowing the maximum number of potential items to fill the hold request (all items that have the same monograph parts label applied). This often means less time waiting for an item to become available and ensures that the correct item gets to the patron. Staff should report any holdable items without an appropriate monograph parts designation to their local cataloging staff (if owned by their library system) or to the cataloging contact person for the system that owns the item(s) that need a monograph parts label.

Placing Monograph Parts Level Hold

2.5. Metarecord Search and Holds

Placing Metarecord Level Holds

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Metarecords compile individual bibliographic records for the same work, utilizing a Fingerprint function in Evergreen to match different formats and identifiers, which helps reduce duplication in search results. Metarecord holds can serve two purposes: to include potential items attached  to duplicate records that need merging, and for patrons interested in various formats of the same item. Patrons can place Metarecord Holds in the OPAC via grouped search or the advanced hold options, allowing the selection of specific formats and languages. Staff can also place these holds through a similar process in the staff client. 

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Metarecords are compilations of individual bibliographic records that represent the same work. Evergreen uses a function called the Fingerprint to match records with different formats and identifiers (for example, the Large Print and Regular Print of the same book). The fingerprint is made up of several subfields in teh bibliographic record. This compilation allows for several records to be represented on a single line on the catalog search results page, which can help to reduce result duplications. Both staff and patrons may place these holds from either the staff client (staff only) or the OPAC (any user).

Metarecord holds can be useful in two distinct ways:

• If there are multiple records for the same item that should be merged but have not been.
• If a patron is open to different formats of the same item, such as both DVD and Blu-Ray, or both regular print and large print.

Placing Metarecord Holds from the Staff Client

Staff may place metarecord holds for patrons from the staff client. The process is similar.

1. On the Catalog Search page, select the box to Group Formats/Editions.
   
2. Conduct your search as normal.
3. The results will group together multiple records. The icon for each record type will be visible in the results page.
   
4. Click the Place Hold Button. Enter the patron's information.
5. Select the format types the patron wishes to place a hold on by checking the appropriate boxes. If multiple languages are avialable, you may be able to select those as well.
   
   
   
6. Click the Place Holds button to finalize the hold.

The same steps may be followed if the hold request originates in the patron account and the staff member searches the catalog after clicking the "Place Hold" button in the patron account.

Show Holds on Bib

Within the staff client, Show Holds on Bib for a metarecord level hold will take the staff member into the Metarecord Constituent Records page.

Placing a Metarecord Hold in the OPAC

Patrons may place a Metarecord Hold through two easily accessible but distince paths in the OPAC:

From a Grouped Search

Note: Selecting multiple formats will not place all of these formats on hold for the user. For example, a user cannot select CD Audiobook and Book and expect to place both the CD and book on hold at the same time. Instead, the user is implying that either the CD format or the book format is the acceptable format to fill the hold. If no format is selected, then any of the available formats may be used to fill the hold. The same holds true for selecting multiple languages.

From the Advanced Hold Options

When users place a hold on an individual bibliographic record they will see an Advanced Hold Options link within the Place Hold screen. Clicking the Advanced Hold Options link will take the users into the metarecord level hold feature, enabling them to select multiple formats and/or languages.

3.1. Placing Holds in Patron Records

How to Place a Hold When Starting in the Patron's Record

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Staff can initiate a hold request directly from a patron's open account. To do this, navigate to the Holds tab in the patron record and click the Place Hold button. A catalog will appear for searching the desired title, with the patron's account visible at the top. After locating the title, click the Place Hold button. Upon completion, return to the patron’s account by clicking their name and refreshing to view the new holds.

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3.2. Patron Search from Place Hold

Search for a Patron from the Place Holds Screen

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Patron Search from Place Hold allows staff to search for patrons using names and other information when placing holds, instead of relying solely on barcodes. After searching in the catalog and retrieving a bibliographic record, staff can click "Place Hold." A search interface appears where staff can find patrons by by name. Results will display, enabling staff to select the desired patron. The patron’s barcode will then be shown next to "Place Hold for patron by barcode," allowing any necessary adjustments to hold notification preferences before finalizing the hold submission.

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Patron Search from Place Hold allows staff members, when placing a hold on behalf of a patron in the staff client, to search for patrons by names and other searchable patron information, rather than relying on barcode alone.

3.3. Placing Holds from Baskets

Cataloging Permission Groups, Requirements, and Assessments

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To place batch holds on multiple items in a library catalog, staff and patrons can use the Basket function. In both the Staff Client and the OPAC, users should search the catalog, select desired titles by checking their boxes, then access the Basket Actions menu to choose "Place Hold."

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When patrons request holds on several items at once that may all be discovered through catalog searches, staff or patrons can make a batch hold request using the Basket function.

Placing Batch Holds in the Staff Client

1. Conduct a search in the catalog.
2. Select any title the patron wants to place on hold by checking the boxes next to the result line.
   
3. Continue reviewing results, or conduct another search.
4. Once all titles have been selected, open the Basket Actions menu at the top of the results list.
   
5. Select Place Hold.
6. Enter patron barcode or search for patron using the Patron Search function availablein the Place Holds interface.
7. Click the Place Holds button.
8. Holds will be placed on all the selected titles from the basket, unless there is a cause to block the hold.
   

Placing Batch Holds in the OPAC

1. Conduct a search in the catalog.
2. Select any title the patron wants to place on hold by checking the boxes next to the result line.
   
3. Continue reviewing results, or conduct another search.
4. Once all titles have been selected, open the Basket Actions menu at the top of the page.
   
5. Select Place Holds and click Go.
6. Login.
7. Click the Submit button.
8. Holds will be placed on all the selected titles from the basket, unless there is a cause to block the hold.
   

3.4. Hold Groups

What are Hold Groups?

3.5. Multiple Holds

Placing Multiple Holds on a Single Account

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Users with appropriate permissions can place multiple title and metarecords holds simultaneously. This feature is recommended for Staff and Institutional account types, to be used for book clubs and library projects. To place multiple holds for a single patron, select the number of copies needed as part of the hold request.

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3.6. Placing Holds from the OPAC

Placing Holds from the OPAC

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Patrons can place holds in the OPAC for titles and metarecords. Title level holds can be placed individually, from a basket, or from lists. For individual holds, patrons log in, search for titles, and click "Place Hold." For baskets, multiple titles can be selected before placing holds. Lists can be accessed via the "My Lists" link. Metarecord holds can be placed through grouped searches or advanced options, allowing patrons to select specific formats or languages. However, selecting multiple formats does not guarantee all will be held; only one will be accepted. Extra information such as pickup location may be added before submission.

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Patrons may place holds while logged into the OPAC. Hold types available for this function are Title and Metarecord.

Placing Title Level Holds in the OPAC

Patrons may place title level holds one at a time, via lists, or baskets.

Placing Title Holds One at a Time

1. Log into the OPAC using the patron barcode and PIN.
2. Conduct a search for the target titles as normal.
3. Click the Place Hold link beside the title on the search results list, or click the Place Hold link on the title summary screen.
   
4. This will open the Place Hold interface in the OPAC.
5. Make any changes to pickuplibrary or ctanct information.
6. Click Submit.

Placing Title Holds from a Basket

1. Conduct a search in the catalog.
2. Select any title by checking the boxes next to the result line.
   
3. Continue reviewing results, or conduct another search.
4. Once all titles have been selected, open the Basket Actions menu at the top of the page.
   
5. Select Place Holds and click Go.
6. Login.
7. Click the Submit button.
8. Holds will be placed on all the selected titles from the basket, unless there is a cause to block the hold.
   

Placing Title Holds from Lists

1. Navigate to your lists from the My Lists link at the top of the OPAC.
   
2. Open the list from which you want to place the hold.
3. Select any of the titles from the list to place holds on.
4. Choose Place Hold from the Actions menu.
   

Placing Metarecord Holds from the OPAC

Patrons may place a Metarecord Hold through two easily accessible but distince paths in the OPAC:

From a Grouped Search

Note: Selecting multiple formats will not place all of these formats on hold for the user. For example, a user cannot select CD Audiobook and Book and expect to place both the CD and book on hold at the same time. Instead, the user is implying that either the CD format or the book format is the acceptable format to fill the hold. If no format is selected, then any of the available formats may be used to fill the hold. The same holds true for selecting multiple languages.

From the Advanced Hold Options

When users place a hold on an individual bibliographic record they will see an Advanced Hold Options link within the Place Hold screen. Clicking the Advanced Hold Options link will take the users into the metarecord level hold feature, enabling them to select multiple formats and/or languages.

4.1. Editing Holds in the Title Record

 

4.2. Editing Holds in the Patron Account

How to Makae Changes to Holds in the Patron Account

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Staff can modify patron holds in several ways, including suspending, re-activating, changing notification methods, contact details, pick-up locations, expiration dates, and canceling holds. To perform actions, staff retrieve the patron record, access the Holds screen, highlight the hold, and select an action from the menu. For canceling a hold, a reason and note may be required; suspended holds retain their position until activated. Dates can be edited through the Actions menu. Notifications can be adjusted by entering new phone numbers or enabling email notifications. The pick-up location can also be updated unless the item is already on the holds shelf.

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Staff may make the following changes to holds from the patron's account:

• Suspend
• Re-activate
• Change notification methods
• Change contact details
• Change pick-up location
• Change expiration date
• Change shelf expiration date
• Cancel

4.3. Transferring Holds

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Holds on one title can be transferred to another while preserving the hold request time, facilitating adjustments for incorrect formats or hopeless holds. To transfer holds from a title record, access the destination title's record, select "Title Hold Transfer" from the Mark for menu, then return to the original hold's record to perform the transfer. For transferring holds from a patron record, the process is similar: navigate to the destination title, select "Title Hold Transfer," and then choose the hold to transfer from the patron's Holds tab.

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4.4. Cancelling Holds

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Active hold requests may be cancelled by staff, either from the Patron Account, or the Title Record. When cancelling a hold, apply a reason and, if necesarry, a note. Reasons include: Hold Shelf Expiration, Patron via Phone, Patron in person, Staff forced, and Patron via email. If using the Staff Forced cancel reason, include a note to explain why the hold was cancelled.

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4.5. Hold Details

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The Hold Detail screen provides five sections with essential information about a hold request. These include Request Date, Hold Type, Requested Pickup Library, and notification preferences. Once an item is captured, additional information appears, such as Current Shelf Lib, Capture Date, Current Item, Current Shelving Location, and Call Number. If a hold is cancelled, details like Cancel Cause, Canceling Staff, and Cancel Time are logged. Notes can be added to the hold, visible to the patron if desired, and included on hold slips. The Details page also contains information on previously targeted copies, including timestamps and reasons for re-targeting, with additional relevant notes as necessary.

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Record Summary

At the top of the Hold Details screen is information about the bibliographic/title record.

• Title
• Author
• Edition (may not match the edition of the copy received)
• Pub Date (may not match the edition of the copy received)
• TCN
• Record Creator
• Last Editor
• Last Edited Date

Hold Details

The next section of the page includes details about the hold request.

Some details are set at the point the hold is first requested:

• Request Date: The timestamp reflecting when the request was submitted.
• Hold Type: Metarecord, Title, Copy, or Parts.
• Requested Pickup Library: The branch where the patrons wants to checkout the item. This may be changed after the request is made.
• Email/Phone/SMS Notify: A true or false value reflecting which notification methods the patron selected when placing the hold.

Some details are set only once an item has been captured to fulfill the hold:

• Current Shelf Lib: What library pulled the item, or where it was checked in before being put in transit.
• Capture Date: The timestamp reflecting when the item was checked or captured.
• Current Item: The barcode for the item captured to fulfill the hold. It will be hyperlinked to the item record.
• Current Shelving Location: The shelving location where the item is shelved at it's circulating library.
• Call Number: The call number applied to the item at it's owning library.

Some details are only set if the hold is cancelled:

• Cancel Cause: The cancel cause selected by staff when cancelling in the staff client. If cancelled by patron in the OPAC, the cancel cause will reflect "Patron via OPAC."
• Canceling Staff: The user name of the staff member who cancelled the hold. If cancelled by patron in the OPAC, the canceling staff will reflect the patron's barcode.
• Cancel Time: The timestamp reflecting when the hold request was cancelled.
• Canceling Workstation: The workstation (including working location) where the hold was cancelled. If cancelled by patron in the OPAC, the canceling workstation will be blank.
• Cancel Note: Any notes added to the cancellation by staff.

Additionally:

• Status changes as the hold request is targeted, pulled, transited, and shelved
• Hopeless Date will be set if the hold goes into a state of Hopeless

Notes

Notes added to the hold request are visible in the first tab of the lower section of the Detail page.

You may add a note to a hold in the Detail View.

1. Click the New Note button.
2. Check the box to make the note visible to the patron if necesarry.
3. Check the box to include the note on the hold slip if necesarry.
4. Enter a title for the note.
5. Enter the text of the note in the Note Body section.
6. Click OK.

Notes may be deleted, but they cannot be edited after being created.

5.1. The Pull List

Working with the Holds Pull List

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When a title is targeted for a hold request, it appears on the library's constantly updated Pull List. Staff should check this list at least once a day and preferably twice. The Pull List can be accessed through the Circulation menu. Users can adjust the list's scope by changing the Pickup Library or Shelving Location, and can customize the display in the Evergreen grid by sorting columns and adjusting visible fields. Staff can perform various actions on the list, such as canceling or modifying holds, marking items, and retrieving patron information. Options for printing include printing all holds, selected rows, or downloading as a CSV file.

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When a specific copy of a title is targeted to fulfill a hold request, it appears on the owning library's Hold Pull List. The Holds Pull List is updated constantly. Once an item on the list is no longer available or a hold on the list is captured, the items will disappear from the list.

Staff must check this list at least once a day, but NC Cardinal recommends checking it twice!

5.2. Capturing Holds

Capturing Pulled Holds

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Holds are routed to the Hold Shelf or put In Transit through a process called Capturing. Staff can capture holds via teh regular checkin interface, or using the dedicated Hold Capture interface. Hold and Transit slips should be printed as part of the capturing process, and may be printed automatically with the application of a checkin modifier. 

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If an item on the holds pull list is missing or damaged, you can change its status directly from the holds pull list.

 

5.3. Retargeting Holds

How to Retarget Holds from the Title Record

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Holds in the library system may require retargeting when new items are added because the system does not automatically recognize these new items for holds. Staff can retarget holds using check-in modifiers or by following specific steps as outlined on this page. The process involves accessing the View Holds tab, selecting holds with the status "Waiting for Item," and using the "Find Another Target" option from the Actions menu to reset holds. 

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Holds may need to be retargeted whenever a new item is added to a record, or after some types of item status changes, for instance when an item is changed from On Order to In process. The system does not automatically recognize the newly added items as available to fill holds. Staff may retarget using the checkin modifiers as shown in the New Items and Holds page in the Cataloging in NC Cardinal knowledge book to check in In process items, or following the steps outlined below.

 

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NC Cardinal is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), as administered by the Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.