Place a hold from the staff side

Place a hold on behalf of a patron. Useful when patrons call or email.

Where

Holds → New hold

Steps

• Pick the patron — search by name, email, or card number
• Pick the book — search by title or ISBN
• Confirm

What happens

• The hold is added to the book's queue in the order placed
• If the book is available, the hold becomes "Ready" immediately
• The patron gets an email

Multiple holds at once

You can add a patron to multiple books' waitlists in one session. Each hold is independent.

Patron is blocked

If the patron has an F grade, the hold won't place. Either unblock them first or override (admin only).

Cancelling on behalf of a patron

Holds → find the hold → Cancel. Same as if the patron cancelled it themselves.

When patrons call asking for a hold

Common workflow:

• Take their name, find them
• Search for the book they want
• Confirm with them: "I'm placing a hold on X for you. You'll get an email when it's ready."
• Place the hold

Holds on books that don't exist

You can't place a hold on a book that isn't in your catalogue. To create a "wishlist" entry, add the book to your catalogue (with no copies) and patrons can hold it. They'll wait until you add a copy.