Age Protection allows libraries to prevent holds on new items from outside the owning library's branch or system for a designated amount of time. This is intended to give the library's local patrons a chance to check out the new item before making it available for holds to other libraries. Libraries typically use this feature for all new items; but, may choose to use it on only popular titles or not at all.

Age protection is counted from the item Active Date. An item's Create Date is when the item is created in the database and is not necessarily the same as the item active date. Items are set with an Active Date when they are first checked in from the In Process status used when they were cataloged.

Each item (copy) has an age_protect flag which may be set to 3 month, 6 month, or None. The total amount of time the item is in age protection is 6 months, regardless of whether 3 month or 6 month is selected at cataloging.

• If set to 3 month and the item active date is less than 3 months old, the item is only holdable by patrons whose pickup library matches the circulating library of the copy. Between 3 and 6 months, the item will be holdable by patrons whose pickup library is within the library system. After 6 months is over, the item will no longer be age protected and holds may be placed on it from any PINES location. NOTE: The column for Age Protection will remain 3months, even if it's in that 3mo-6mo window of protection time.

• If 6 month is set and the item active date is less than 6 months old, the item is only holdable by patrons whose pickup library is within the same system as the circulating library of the item. After 6 months is over, the item will no longer be age protected and holds may be placed on it from any PINES location.

• If age protect is set to None, then no age protection occurs and holds can be placed on the item from any PINES location once the item is created. The only exception to this is On Order Holds.

Here is an example using dates. For an item with an active date of January 1:

You cannot “reset” age protection. Because it is tied to an item's active date, changing the age protection value doesn't restart the clock. This would only have an effect if the item is less than 6 months old.