Home → Circulation in Evergreen → Holds Management → Holds Levels
Holds can be placed by staff in the Staff Client and by patrons in the OPAC. In this chapter we demonstrate placing holds in the Staff Client.
Evergreen has different levels of holds. Library staff can place holds at all levels, while patrons can only place metarecord holds, title holds, and parts holds (when monograph parts are in use). The chart below summarizes the levels of holds. 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.
Hold level |
Abbreviation |
When to use |
How to use |
Who can use |
Hold tied to |
Metarecord | M | Patron wants first available copy of multiple formats (as selected) | Staff or patron first select the Group Formats and Editions checkbox, then click on Place Hold next to title. | Patron or staff | Holdings attached to multiple MARC (title) records |
Title |
T |
Patron wants first available copy of a title in a specific format |
Staff or patron click on Place Hold next to title. |
Patron or staff |
Holdings attached to a single MARC (title) record |
Parts |
P |
Patron wants a particular part of title (e.g. volume or disk number) |
Staff or patron selects part on the create/edit hold screen when setting holds notification options. |
Patron or staff |
Holdings with identical parts attached to a single bibliographic (title) record |
Volume |
V |
Patron or staff want any title associated with a particular call number (not recommended in most cases) |
In the staff client, click on Volume Hold under Holdable? |
Staff only |
Holdings attached to a single call number (volume) |
Copy |
C |
Patron or staff want a specific copy of an item (not recommended in most cases) |
In the staff client, click on Copy Hold under Holdable? |
Staff only |
A specific copy (barcode) |
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.