Holds Progression (Sierra)
- Bethany Baker
This documentation details how holds progress through the system for both MLN1 and MLN2.
This documentation does not detail the progression of INN-Reach (Prospector) holds. For information about placing and filling INN-Reach holds, see the Holds Process for Sierra, Pika, and Prospector documentation.
MLN1 Holds Progression
MLN1 uses the Title Priority Paging setup and holds progress through the system in four main steps: the hold is placed, the hold is paged, the hold is filled, and the patron is notified.
Hold is Placed
Patrons or staff place a hold using Pika or Sierra. For more information on placing holds in Pika or Sierra, see the Holds Process for Sierra, Pika, and Prospector documentation.
It is recommended that library staff use Pika to place holds rather than Sierra whenever possible
There are two types of holds: Title level (also referred to as bib level) and item level hold.
A title level hold refers to a hold placed on an entire bibliographic work, such as a book or a DVD; hence, title level holds are sometimes referred to as "bibliographic level holds." With the title level hold, a patron will place a hold on the first available copy of a title. A title level hold can be satisfied when any eligible item, based on loan rules, is available on the bibliographic record.
The most important button for placing a bibliographic or title level hold in Sierra is the Hold Copy Returned Soonest. This will place the hold on the bibliographic record and not an individual item.
An item level hold refers to a hold placed on a specific copy of that work, such as a particular book edition or DVD. An item level hold can be satisfied when that item is available, such as when it is returned to the library system.
The most important button for placing an item level hold in Sierra is the Hold Selected Item. This will place the hold on the specific item and not on the bibliographic record.
For more information on the two different types of holds, see the Differences Between Bib and Item level Holds documentation.
Hold is Paged
Title level holds:
Paging occurs at the pickup location first, as long as the pickup location has an item that can fill the hold.
If the pickup location is unable to fill the hold within 48 hours or there is no eligible item at the pickup location, the second tier of paging occurs at the agency level (library locations within the same agency as the pickup location, such as branch locations in a library district).
The order of subsequent locations is determined by paging priority, which is set in the Sierra Hold Pickup Locations table.
Marmot currently has the paging priority set up to account for geographic priority and library size.
The system will page entries with higher assigned priorities first. For example, a library with an assigned priority of 1 will be paged before a library with an assigned priority of 2. If a library has an entry of 0 in the table, it will never be paged. This is reserved for libraries with very limited hours, such as a library that is only open one day a week. If several libraries have the same priority assigned, the system randomly chooses from those libraries. An assigned priority of 999 is a wildcard.
The system will cycle through all of the entries in the paging priority table until the hold is filled or the system has gone through the entries twice, whichever comes first. If the hold is not filled after two cycles, the hold is retained as a title level hold but will not be paged again. In this instance, the hold can be identified in the Manage Outstanding Holds function.
Note: at any time in the cycle, the cycle can be interrupted when an eligible item is checked in that can fill the title level hold, regardless of the library. For example, if there is a local copy available and that library has not yet filled the hold when another library checks in an eligible copy, that checked-in item will fulfill the hold. To place a hold on a specific item, see the item level holds information.
Item level holds
Item level holds do not appear in the Item Paging Notices unless you click the Place hold; print paging slip button. This will page for the item the next time you run your Item Paging Notices.
The item level hold will remain in the item level hold queue until it is filled. To identify item level holds that have not been paged, run the Manage Holds report for your library or branch. Toggle the Hold Status to show all the item level holds.
Hold is Filled
Title level holds:
Generally, title level holds will be filled based on the order of placement. However, there are a few things that can alter the fulfillment:
A Not Wanted Before date is attached to the hold. A Not Wanted Before date can be manually added when staff places the hold through Sierra or by freezing a hold on Pika. For more information on why Not Wanted Before dates are added to items, see the Freezing Holds patron documentation. When a hold is frozen through Pika, the Not Wanted Before date will automatically be set to 255 days from the hold creation date. For more information, see the Sierra Freezing Holds Logic documentation.
Preference is given to patrons who select the hold pickup location that matches the owning library. For example, if a Bemis patron places a hold on a Bemis item for pickup at Bemis, that hold will be filled for the Bemis patron first, even if the patron is not first in the queue.
Preference is also given based on Agency. If there is no hold for a patron where the hold pickup location matches the owning library, the hold will fill for the first patron where the item’s agency matches that of the patron agency, even if the patron is not first in the queue. For example, if both a Gunnison and Rifle patron have a title level hold and an item that can fill that hold becomes available at Glenwood Springs, the hold will be filled for the Rifle patron first because both the item and the patron are part of the same agency, Garfield County.
Item level
An item level hold can be satisfied when that item is available, such as when it is returned to the library system.
Not Wanted Before dates cannot be set for item level holds. For more information, see the Sierra Freezing Holds Logic documentation.
Patron is Notified
Notification
When the hold is checked in at the pickup location, the item status will be updated to “!” (on holdshelf). As soon as the status is “!”, the system queues a notification to be sent.
The notification will be sent when the library runs its hold pickup notice job.
If the loan rule for the item does not have a hold pickup notice text set, the hold pickup notice will fail to send. To view the loan rules for your library, navigate to the Loan Rule table via the following path in Sierra: Admin > Parameters > Circulation > Loan Rules. If you’re unable to view the table or have questions about the loan rules for your library, contact Marmot.
The form in which patrons will receive the hold pickup notice is based on the settings in their patron record.
In the Notice Preference fixed length field, patrons can opt to receive notices via print (a printed notification that is then mailed by library staff), email, or phone. For information on troubleshooting email notifications for patrons, see the FAQ section of the Notices documentation. If the patron has chosen phone as their notification preference, they will only receive a phone notification if they are also signed up for Shoutbomb.
A patron can sign up for phone or text notifications using the variable-length Shoutbomb Preferences field (w) in the patron record. An entry of “s” signs the patron up for SMS (text) notifications. An entry of “v” signs the patron up for voice (phone call) notifications.
Holdshelf
When the item with the hold is checked-in at the pickup location, staff will get a holdshelf slip to print. The default holdshelf slip includes the following fields:
The TITLE variable-length field in the bibliographic record.
The CALL # variable-length field in the local bibliographic record or, if absent from the bibliographic record, from the item record.
The BARCODE variable-length field in the item record.
The PATRN NAME variable-length field in the patron record.
First and second lines of the ADDRESS variable-length field in the patron's record.
The EMAIL ADDR variable-length field in the patron record.
The TELEPHONE variable-length field in the patron record.
The pickup location as specified in the hold record.
Holdshelf slips can also be customized with print templates.
The customized slips usually include a pull date for the hold (Marmot-wide, items stay on the holdshelf for a total of 7 days and then are pulled on the 8th day).
If a library has a public holdshelf, aliases are suggested.
Other important details
Reports to use to keep holds progressing through the system:
Tableau Hold to Item ratio
Similar to high demand holds report but custom. If you’re interested in having a Tableau report made for your library, contact Marmot.
Title Priority Paging
With Title Priority Paging:
A length of time before a page at your library is eligible for transfer can be set. This option controls the minimum number of hours Sierra should wait before your library is eligible for removal from the Title Paging List for the unfulfilled hold. For MLN1, this is 48 hours. Note that the system starts counting down the time until page transferability the day after your library is paged for the item, at the time the page transfer process runs (for MLN1, the process runs at 2 A.M.).
Title Priority Paging Features:
Keeping the Title Hold after the Page Expires: The system retains a title or volume level hold after the paging process is complete. Sierra does not cancel a title or volume level hold after its page expires (that is, when there are no remaining locations in the Title Paging List for this hold) and does not queue a hold cancellation notice. In this instance, the hold can be identified in the Manage Outstanding Holds function.
Paging Open Locations First: The system pages the open locations in the Title Paging List first. The system pages the first location in the Title Paging List that is open according to the Days Closed table. If the next location to be paged according to the Title Paging List is closed, the system moves that location to the end of the Title Paging List and pages the next location (if it is open). If all the pageable locations are closed, the system pages the next (closed) location on the Title Paging List that has an item available that could fulfill the hold. The system continues to use this process to cycle through the locations on the Title Paging List as usual.
Cycling through the Title Paging List Multiple Times: The system cycles through the Title Paging List a specified number of times. If the process of paging each location in the Title Paging List ends and the page still is outstanding, the system regenerates the list of locations to be paged and cycles through the locations on the Title Paging List as usual. For MLN1, the system will complete the full paging cycle twice, unless the hold is filled within those two cycles.
Paging Priority must be set for each library.
Paging priority must be set for each location that should be paged. The locations that should be paged are represented in the Hold Pickup Locations table. The system does not page locations that are not in this table. Marmot staff manage and maintain the Hold Pickup Locations table.
Paging Priorities: An Example
A library system contains four pickup locations: Main Library, East Library, South Library, and West Elementary School. Main and East are close to one another, while South is farther away. Main Library has the largest collection and the most resources available for filling holds, while East and South have limited staff and hours. West Elementary School does not permit holds on its items. This library system might set up paging priorities as follows:
In the entries for Main, East, and South, a priority of '0' to West Library to prevent the system from paging for holds at this location.
In the entry for Main, a higher priority is assigned to East than South to minimize transportation costs between branches.
In the entry for South, higher priority to Main than East is assigned so that, when possible, holds are filled with materials from Main.
FAQs
How are Pages Transfered to Another Library?
A hold remains on a library's paging list until it either transfers to another library or ceases to page.
Scenarios that cause a page to transfer to another library include:
The paged library rejects the hold. When checking in an item with a hold using the Check In - No Patron function, a pop-up will appear with three buttons: Fulfill hold; Check in, do not fulfill hold; and Cancel hold. To move the hold to another library, choose “Check in, do not fulfill hold.” To cancel the hold for that patron, choose “Cancel Hold.”
The time limit for transferring a page has passed (48 hours for MLN1), and the hold has not been fulfilled.
What scenarios cause a hold to stop paging?
Scenarios that cause a hold to stop paging include:
An item is checked in and fulfills the hold.
The hold is modified so that it is limited to one location.
The hold has been canceled.
The hold has been transferred to another bibliographic record.
MLN2 Holds Progression
MLN2 follows the Library Priority Paging setup and holds progress through the system in four main steps: the hold is placed, the hold is paged, the hold is filled, and the patron is notified.
Hold is Placed
Under the Library Priority Paging model, if a hold is placed on a title via Pika and there are copies on the bibliographic record available, the hold will become an item level hold immediately.
If there is an item available from the patron’s home library, the hold will be assigned to that item first. Otherwise, the hold will be assigned to another available item at random.
If a hold is placed on a title via Pika and there are no copies available, the hold will become a title level hold.
Once an item becomes available, the system will move the title level hold to an item level hold on the available copy, based on the order of hold placement.
There are two types of holds: Title level (also referred to as bib level) and item level hold.
A title level hold refers to a hold placed on an entire bibliographic work, such as a book or a DVD; hence, title level holds are sometimes referred to as "bibliographic level holds." With the title level hold, a patron will place a hold on the first available copy of a title.
The most important button for placing a bibliographic or title level hold in Sierra is the Hold Copy Returned Soonest. This will place the hold on the bibliographic record and not an individual item.
An item level hold refers to a hold placed on a specific copy of that work, such as a particular book edition or DVD. An item level hold can be satisfied when that item is available, such as when it is returned to the library system.
The most important button for placing an item level hold in Sierra is the Hold Selected Item. This will place the hold on the specific item and not on the bibliographic record.
For more information on the two different types of holds, see the Differences Between Bib and Item level Holds documentation.
Hold is Paged
Item Paging
Item Paging Slip:
Sierra prints one item paging slip for each paged item. If several items are requested from the same location, the system generates a separate item paging slip for each item.
Item Paging List:
Item paging lists contain information on all of the items being paged, rather than one slip per item.
These notice jobs should be run daily. To identify item level holds that have not been paged or filled, run the Manage Holds report for your library or branch. Toggle the Hold Status to show all the item level holds.
You can transfer unfulfilled holds to other available items. The system does not transfer pages that are more than one week old, so you should check for transferrable pages at least once a week.
To transfer paged items:
Choose Transfer Paged Items from the Function list. Sierra displays the Transfer Paged Items screen. This screen has the following components:
The Pickup Location pane
The Items paged longer than pane (displays the value of the Pageslips: Number of hours before page can be transferred circulation option)
The Transfer Paged Items table
In the Pickup Location pane, choose the pickup location(s) for which you want to view pages. You can view pages for the pickup locations for the Locations Served assigned to your login, for all locations, or for a single branch location. By default, Sierra selects the Locations Served assigned to your login.
Choose View Paged Items.
Sierra displays the pages that meet all of the following criteria:
The pickup location belongs to one of the location(s) you selected in the Pickup Location pane
The page is older than the number of hours specified by the Pageslips: Number of hours before page can be transferred circulation option
The page is less than one week old.
Select the page that you want to transfer.
To view the currently paged item, choose the View Current Item option from the right mouse popup menu.
To view the item to which a page can be transferred, choose the View Transfer To Item option from the right mouse popup menu.
To transfer a page or a selection of pages, choose the Transfer button or, from the right mouse popup menu, the Transfer Item option.
You can transfer pages of items attached to bibliographic records, attached to volume records, and/or containing volume information in the item record's VOLUME field, to any other item attached to the same bibliographic record. Sierra attempts to transfer the selected page(s). For each page successfully transferred, Sierra changes the page's status to Transferred and queues an item paging slip.
Other statuses include:
Eligible: The item listed in the Transfer To field can be paged.
Ineligible: There are no items to which you can transfer the page.
Record Not Found: One of the items listed in the Transfer To or Current Item field has been removed from the database.
To clear the current table, choose Clear.
Automated Transfer of Paged Items
The system automatically transfers unsatisfied pages on the night that they become eligible for transfer. On MLN2, items become eligible for transfer if the hold has been paged for more than 96 hours (4 days). The system updates the Automated Transfer of Paged Items log with information about each hold that it transfers. The system does not transfer pages to or from items that have volume numbers in their item records.
Sierra maintains a log of items transferred through the Automated Transfer process. To view this log:
Choose Transfer Paged Items from the Function list.
Choose View > View Log or the View Log icon. The system displays the Transfer Paged Items Log screen, which displays the log entries.
From the Transfer Paged Items Log screen, you can do the following:
Clear the log by choosing File > Clear Log or the Clear Log icon.
Print the log by choosing File > Print or the Print icon.
Close the log display by choosing File > Close or the Close icon.
Hold is Filled
Item level
An item level hold can be satisfied when that item is available, such as when it is returned to the library system.
Patron is Notified
Notification
When the hold is checked in at the pickup location, the item status will be updated to “!” (on holdshelf). As soon as the status is “!”, the system queues a notification to be sent.
The notification will be sent when the library runs its hold pickup notice job.
If the loan rule for the item does not have a hold pickup notice text set, the hold pickup notice will fail to send.
The form in which patrons will receive the hold pickup notice is based on the settings in their patron record.
In the Notice Preference fixed length field, patrons can opt to receive notices via print (a printed notification that is then mailed by library staff) or email. For information on troubleshooting email notifications for patrons, see the FAQ section of the Notices documentation. If the patron has chosen phone, they will only receive a phone notification if they are also signed up for Shoutbomb.
A patron can sign up for phone or text notifications using the PCode 4 fixed-length field in the patron record. An entry of “1” signs the patron up for SMS (text) notifications. An entry of “2” signs the patron up for voice (phone call) notifications. Note: “3” (voice and SMS) is not currently active.
Holdshelf
When the item with the hold is checked-in at the pickup location, staff get a holdshelf slip. The default holdshelf slip includes the following fields:
The TITLE variable-length field in the bibliographic record.
The CALL # variable-length field in the local bibliographic record or, if absent from the bibliographic record, from the item record.
The BARCODE variable-length field in the item record.
The PATRN NAME variable-length field in the patron record.
First and second lines of the ADDRESS variable-length field in the patron's record.
The EMAIL ADDR variable-length field in the patron record.
The TELEPHONE variable-length field in the patron record.
The pickup location as specified in the hold record.
Holdshelf slips can also be customized with print templates.
The customized slips usually include a pull date for the hold (Marmot-wide, items stay on the holdshelf for a total of 7 days and then are pulled on the 8th day).
If the library has a public holdshelf, aliases are suggested
Other important details
Reports to use to keep holds progressing through the system:
Tableau Hold to Item ratio
Similar to high demand holds report but custom. If you’re interested in having a Tableau report made for your library, contact Marmot.
FAQs
I placed an item-level hold in Sierra on a specific item but the hold was moved to a different item.
This is part of the Automated Transfer Process. If an item level hold is not filled for an item within 4 days (96 hours), the hold will automatically be transferred to another eligible item.
Related Documentation