LINK+ Repository: Holds Maintenance

When the owning library cancels a LINK+ request, a cancellation notice is generated to let the patron know the item is not availab le. Preparing the cancellation notices for these transactions clears the virtual item record off the patron record. Members should genera te cancellation notices periodically to ensure that the virtual items are removed from the patron's record. If you do not wish to send cancellation notices to patrons, you should still run them periodically to clear the file. Simply move them to the print queue and pr int them to your email address. You can then delete the email.

If staff from the patron's library cancel a LINK+ request, no hold cancellation notice is generated. The system can generate hold cancellation notices only for LINK+ requests that are cancelled by the owning site. When a patron cancels his own request, no cancell ation notice is generated.

From Millennium or Sierra Circulation:

• Go to Search/Holds
• Retrieve the bibliographic record to which the items are attached. The bibliographic record and its summary of items will display.
• In the Summary tab, select the item from which you want to transfer the hold
• Click the Transfer Holds button
• In the drop-down list, choose the item to which you want to transfer the item-level hold
• Click the OK button

If you cannot find a requested item on your shelf, and you cannot find another item to which to transfer the request, you may choose to "Cancel with Re-Request". This will cause the system to search other LINK+ libraries to fill the request. You should transfer or cancel as soon as possible to ensure that requests don't linger.

To cancel a hold on a requested LINK+ item so that the hold is fulfilled by another site's item:

• Go to "Search/Holds" mode
• Retrieve the title
• View the hold queue
• Select the hold you wish to cancel
• Click the "Cancel Holds" button

Because the system may not be able to find another item to request, and therefore the hold may be cancelled, you are prompted to select an INN-Reach system-defined cancellation message or to key an alternate cancellation message. This message will print on the patron's cancellation notice.

• Item not on shelf
• Item has extended due date (may not be recalled)
• Item long overdue
• Item still being processed (please request later)
• Item too fragile/large to loan
• Local data error (item does not circulate)
• [Enter an alternate cancellation reason]

Once you select or key a cancellation message and choose OK, the system confirms that the hold on your item was cancelled.

If you cancel a request for an item that is part of a multi-volume work (i.e.: the VOLUME variable-length field in the item contains a value), the system automatically performs a cancellation with no re-request.

Similarly, if you cancel a non-volume item (i.e.: the item does not contain a VOLUME field), the system will not select an item that is part of a multi-volume work to take its place.

You can view expired INN-Reach holds by going to Clear Holdshelf and clicking the Show INN-Reach holdshelf radio button. This will allow you to view expired INN-Reach holds, but it will not clear them. In order to clear them, you must return them. Print the report, go to INN-Reach - Return Item , and return the items to clear expired INN-Reach holds.

If you don't have the specific requested item (with matching barcode) but you have another copy of the same item, you can use the "Transfer Hold" function to transfer the LINK+ request to the other item. The item must be attached to the same bibliographic record as the original LINK+ request item and it must contain a requestable location code and item type.

If you attempt to transfer a hold to an item whose location code does not normally contribute to the LINK+ catalog or is otherwise not requestable through LINK+, you will receive a message similar to, "Sorry, hold can't be transferred to an item from a different agency".

When the patron site cancels a LINK+ hold, the system:

• Removes the virtual item record and the LINK+ hold from the patron's hold queue.
• Sends a cancel request message to the owning site.

• Changes the item STATUS to '-' (AVAILABLE).
• Removes the LINK+ hold from the item's hold queue.
• Updates the INN-Reach message field (i.e. mIR01:00-00-00: cancelled by .p00000000@00000)
• Removes the virtual patron record and the INN-Reach message field when the owning site either prints the associated LINK+ paging slip or checks out the item to the patron site. Note that the system does not print a paging slip for the cancelled item or check it out to the patron site. Rather, it examines the item record and makes the appropriate changes at that time.