[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Seeking opinions on client "Transfer All Title Holds" option

[Kathy Lussier]

Hi all,

I wanted to seek some feedback on Launchpad bug 1350377 
https://bugs.launchpad.net/evergreen/+bug/1350377.

The bug seeks an additional permission to be used with the "Transfer All 
Title Holds" option in the client. However, I was wondering if there 
would be any support from removing that option from the client altogether.

Here's the issue:

When you are in a bib record in the staff client, you have the option to 
transfer *all* title holds to another bib record. You first need to mark 
the other bib record as a holds transfer destination.

However, you also have the option to transfer one or any number of 
selected holds to the marked bib record from the holds view of the bib 
record. You could transfer just one hold here or you could select them 
all if you really needed to transfer all holds. The benefit of using 
this option is that the user must actively select the holds that will be 
transferred.

I personally think providing a blanket "Transfer All Title Holds" option 
in the client is dangerous, even if there were a separate permission for 
it, and unnecessary since there are other methods available in the staff 
client to accomplish the same task. Making it even more dangerous is the 
fact that the "Actions for this Record" menu that contains this option 
to transfer all holds is still available in the holds view of the bib 
record, which is where you go to transfer selected holds (see the 
screencast at http://www.screencast.com/t/ifHhJHNqq). It is very easy to 
mistakenly select this option when you are trying just to transfer just 
one hold. In fact, I accidentally selected it when I was just testing 
out the transfer holds scenario a few minutes ago.

During a brief discussion in IRC on this issue, it was mentioned that 
possible use cases for the "transfer all title holds" option are:

1. When staff are manually merging bib records. The client bib merge 
option automatically merges holds, but there may be reasons staff merge 
the records without using that option.
2. In cases where there are orphaned holds on a record that no longer 
has copies to fill the hold.

Since I think both of these use cases could be accommodated by using the 
option where you transfer selected holds, I wanted to see if others 
would support removing the "Transfer All Title Holds" option. Is there 
anyone who uses this option with some frequency who thinks it should 
continue to be available?

Thanks!
Kathy

-- 
Kathy Lussier
Project Coordinator
Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative
(508) 343-0128
klussier at masslnc.org
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmlussier