[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Holds Queue

[James Wagner]

Jason:

Thank you for the thorough response. We are using 1.6.1.2 and we have FIFO activated. I was intrigued when you said that staff could modify the request date on a Hold, but, I can't see anywhere in Evergreen where staff would do that. Is it something I need to 'turn on'?


James Wagner
Technical Services Co-ordinator
Lincoln Public Library
Vineland ON
905-562-5711
wagner at lincoln.library.on.ca

-----Original Message-----
From: open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org [mailto:open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org] On Behalf Of Jason Etheridge
Sent: Friday, October 01, 2010 10:36 AM
To: Evergreen Discussion Group
Subject: Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Holds Queue

On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 9:26 AM, James Wagner <wagner at lincoln.library.on.ca> wrote:
> Many times, when patrons put holds on items, they want to know where 
> they are in the Holds Queue. In Staff Client we can go to View Holds 
> to see where they are on the list. Is there some way for patrons to 
> see what position they are in the Holds Queue from their account in the OPAC?

In EG 2.0 (currently in alpha testing), there is a Queue Position column for various holds lists in the staff client.  It's not in the default skin for the OPAC, though it probably wouldn't be difficult to add.

However, unless the "Holds: FIFO" setting is in effect (where FIFO stands for First-In, First-Out), the Queue Position is a bit of a fiction (an estimate), since there can be effectively multiple hold queues, where holds with a given pickup lib get dibs on items found at or coming into that pickup lib.  There's also a "Top of Queue" (or
Cut-In-Line) field on holds, which if set to true, gives such holds priority over its peers (effectively making yet another queue).  Staff can also directly modify the Request Date on a hold, which effectively re-orders the holds queue.

Without FIFO, the answer to the question "Am I next in line?" isn't straightforward, and even then, it can be affected by staff.

--
Jason Etheridge
 | VP, Tactical Development
 | Equinox Software, Inc. / Your Library's Guide to Open Source
 | phone:  1-877-OPEN-ILS (673-6457)
 | email:  jason at esilibrary.com
 | web:  http://www.esilibrary.com