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Frequently Asked Questions: Holds

What is a hold?

A "hold" is a reservation you may place on a specific title. When a copy of that title is checked in at any Washington County library, that copy will be held at the designated Pick-up library for the next patron in line with a hold on that title.

Note: in the WCCLS catalog (by Polaris library system), holds are referred to as "Requests," but requests and holds are the same thing.

How many holds may I have at one time?

You may have a maximum of 50 holds at a time.

How do I place a hold?

Place a Hold Request from home

  • Locate the title you want
  • Click on Place Request
  • Fill out the Hold Request form, with your library card barcode and password.
  • If you do not pick up materials at the library where you are registered, choose your "Pickup Library" from the dropdown menu.
  • Click on “Submit Request.”
  • You will see the message "Your request has been placed."

Place a Hold Request at the Library

Search for the Title you want, and select it with a mouse Click.

  • Initiate your hold Request by clicking on "Request" OR by right-clicking on the highlighted title and choosing Request Title
  • Enter your Patron information into the hold Request form.
  • Choose your "Pickup Library" from the dropdown menu.
  • You may set a future Activation date if desired
  • Click on “Place Request”.
  • Acknowledge the Request confirmation by clicking on the OK button in the confirmation pop-up box.
Can I place a hold request on a specific volume or issue of a title?

You can now request a specific volume, issue or part of a multipart title.

Place an Item Specific Request from Home

  • Search for your title
  • Click on the Availability link
  • Click on the Item icon to place a hold request on that specific item.
  • You will see the specific item barcode in the Hold Request form

Place an Item Specific Request at the Library

  • Search for your title
  • Look at the Availability display
  • Highlight the specific item(s) you want
  • Right click and select Request Item
  • You will see the specific item barcode in the Hold Request form
How many days do I have to pick up items being held for me?

Library materials are kept on the hold shelf for 10 days.

When items go to Held status and are put on the hold shelf, a notice is sent either by mail or by phone.

  • A notice sent by US mail might take several days to reach you.
  • A phone call is placed the same day or the next day. If we cannot reach you by phone, we will send a paper notice by US mail.

Therefore, while your library materials will remain on the hold shelf at the library for 10 days, you should pick up your holds as soon as possible after notification. Mail notices contain the date by which you must retrieve the material.

How do I view my holds?
From Home
  • Click on Patron Account and log on with your barcode and password.
  • Click on Requests to see your Hold Requests

At the Library

  • Click on the “Patron” icon or the “Log on” icon.
  • Log on using your library card barcode number and password.
  • In your Patron Account, click on Requests to see your Hold Requests
How do I interpret holds Status information in my Patron Record?

Statuses indicating successful holds:

  • Active: The system has recognized your Hold Request. Library staff will be alerted to a hold request if a requested item is checked in. That item will be reserved for the first person waiting in the Hold Queue for that title.
  • Pending: Your Hold Request appears in a list of items that library staff will retrieve from the shelves and route to your Pick-up destination.
  • Shipped: The item you requested is being sent to the designated Pick-up Library to fill your hold request.
  • Held: The item which you requested has been received at the Pick-up Library and is waiting for you on the hold shelf.
  • Inactive: An inactive hold request has an activation date in the future. When that date arrives, the hold request will become Active.
  • Unclaimed: Your hold was not picked up within the 10 day pick-up window. It may be checked out if it is still available or reactivated by a library staff member.
  • Cancelled: A hold in Cancelled status will remain in your Patron Acount for 7 days unless you request that it be deleted or reactivated by Library staff. A request in Cancelled status cannot be filled.

Statuses indicating unsuccessful holds:

  • Not Supplied: You have placed a specific item hold request on an item that is designated Not Holdable
  • Expired: Your hold request was not filled after 2 years.
Unable to put items on hold? (Activation Date error)

If you are stuck on the page that prompts you for an activation date of today or later, check your system clock.

If you are on Windows, generally the day and date are displayed in your Quick Launch, at the bottom righthand corner. If you are using Macintosh OSX, it is generally in the top right hand corner. Are the date and time correct?

To update your system clock, in Windows, go to the Start button, then to Control Panel, then to Date and Time. In OSX, click on the clock, and Open Date & Time.

Once your system Date & Time are corrected, you should be able to place a hold. If not, please contact us.

Why did my position in the Hold Queue drop?

Position in the hold queue for a title is determined by the date/time the hold request is placed. The patron who places the first hold request will get the first available copy of the requested title. Washington County libraries adhere to a strict policy of honoring the order of patron hold requests.

Washington County libraries allow holds to be placed on titles which are in On-Order status and which may not yet be published. Brief order records are created for these titles and they appear in the public catalog to accept hold requests. When the first copy of the title arrives at one of the Wash. Co. libraries, a full catalog record is ordered for that title. These records enter the system centrally on a daily basis. The libraries all attach their copies to this full record, and any brief on-order records are merged into this record.

Sometimes there is a short period of time when there are actually two records for the same title in the public catalog, and both these records could be accumulating hold requests. When these records are merged together, the separate hold lists are interfiled by date/time. Thus, if you placed a hold request on the newer, full record and saw that you were near the top of the list, you could be disturbed to discover that your position on the combined list is considerably lower. This is because those hold requests placed on the On-Order record were placed before you initiated your request.

Read the next question to learn more about Suspended/Reactivated holds.

How do I Suspend/Reactivate my holds?

The WCCLS catalog now lets you Suspend (make Inactive) existing Hold Requests from your Patron Account Requests list.

  • Any hold request in "Active" status may be converted to "Inactive" status until a future Reactivation date of your choice.
  • You do not lose your place in the Hold Queue during the Inactive period.

You may also choose a future Activation date at the time of your original hold request.

You can Manage your Hold Requests from your Patron Account.

  • Requests will automatically convert to 'Active' on the date specified by you during the Suspend process
  • You may extend an existing Reactivation date

Your position in the Hold Queue will continue to advance during the Inactive period.

  • Inactive holds are "invisible" in the hold queue until they are Reactivated, but they retain their place based on the date/time they were originally placed
  • If a suspended hold reaches the top of the Hold Queue, it will remain there until it is Reactivated.
  • If a suspended hold has not yet reached the top of the Queue, it will regain its original position when it is Reactivated.