PINES patrons may place holds on books owned by any PINES library, as well as on certain additional types of materials (such as audio-visual materials) within their own local library system. Items which are placed on hold will be delivered via courier from the owning library to the patron's desired pickup library.

Materials will retain the same circulation period regardless of whether the patron is local or from another PINES library. When thinking of intra-PINES lending, it is important to remember that a PINES patron is a patron exactly like your local patron. Intra-PINES loans are not ILLs – they are simply circulations like any other. The PINES Executive Committee has ruled that circulations between PINES libraries must be free of charge to system libraries and to patrons [2008.09].

The vision of the PINES statewide library card included as a key component the ability for patrons to see and borrow library materials from all participating public libraries in the state. Our goal is maximum access for all patrons, while realistically addressing the logistics of moving materials around the state. Member libraries have agreed that PINES membership would not relieve libraries of the responsibility for purchasing the materials needed to meet the demands of local patrons.

Staff must never give preference to one patron over another regarding holds. The PINES code of ethics requires that all libraries respect the integrity of the hold queue, and share equitably.

• Patrons may place their own holds via the OPAC, and may select their pickup location and notification method. The software will refuse holds requests which do not conform to PINES policies. Patrons may choose any pickup location for holds. Patrons may not place multiple holds on a single title record, but staff may place multiple holds on a single title record on behalf of the patron (e.g., for a book club) [2006.05].
• Patrons whose PINES cards are expired will not be allowed to place holds until the card privilege is renewed.
• Most patrons may place 50 holds at any given time on their account [2006.11]. Certain user categories are restricted to different number of holds limits.
• If a patron presents the on-hold item for checkout before it is retrieved for the requesting patron, the in-house patron with item in hand receives preference; a circulation supervisor will override the hold and check out the item to the in-house patron. The requesting patron will be next in line for the item.
• Hold requests expire after 6 months with the option for staff or patron to make it an earlier or later date [2008.02].

An automated process (the Holds Targeter) runs periodically throughout the day and identifies copies of items at PINES libraries that can fulfill holds.

Each weekday (M-F) morning, each PINES library location will print a report (the Pull List) of items on their shelves which have hold requests (Circulation > Pull List for Hold Requests). The items on this list should be retrieved from the shelves and processed within 24 hours.

If an item should be on the shelf but cannot be found, mark the item Missing (Circulation > Item Status > Scan Barcode > Actions > Mark Item as Missing). This will direct the Holds Targeter to look for a different copy of the item within PINES. It will also allow you to generate a report of missing items in your library.

If you receive an inappropriate holds request on your list (for an item type that is not eligible for intra-PINES loans), contact the requesting library via e-mail or telephone and ask them to remove the hold. Please DO NOT ignore such holds, as they will continue to appear on your list each day until they are resolved.

Libraries may choose to pull and process holds more than once per day if desired, and may also choose to pull and process holds on weekend days if desired.

After pulling items from the shelves (or when receiving items routed to your location to fulfill a hold from another location), scan them into the Checkin Interface (Circulation > Capture Holds).

If the item being scanned is on hold for a local patron, the system will print a Hold Slip that contains the patron’s contact information. If the patron has chosen to be notified by email, an email will be automatically generated within the hour and sent to the address on file. If the patron has chosen to be notified by telephone, then staff must call the patron. The item should then be placed on the Holds Shelf.

If the item being scanned is on hold for a patron of another location, the system will print a Transit Slip and staff will place the item in transit. Items should be appropriately packaged to protect them from damage while in transit [2008.11]. All materials should be treated the same as each library would want its own materials handled [2009.05].

The library should keep the hold or transit slip with the item (most libraries will insert the slip into a book with the slip showing), but should never use tape to attach the slip to a book [2019.09].

• Holds that are not processed within 24 hours will be re-targeted to another library if possible. For 5 days, the hold targeter will only select items within the pickup library. After 5 days, the hold may be filled by any copy within PINES [2007.12]. Borrowed items should be promptly sent back to the owning library or on to the next library to fill a hold.
• A database of PINES delivery addresses in mailing label format is provided to each library (see Library Routing, Courier, and Contact Info); you can print out the addresses needed on demand. For convenience, the Evergreen receipt templates for transit items are configured by default to print the library policy name and courier code for each item (see Print Templates). All items should be sent out within 24 hours of receipt of the holds list.
• Items should be placed in a green PINES courier bag with the courier code and library policy name in clearly showing through the window of the bag. Multiple items may be placed in a green bag, but all items within a bag must be destined for a single library branch (ie, an item going to ARL-ATH and an item going to ARL-BOG must be packaged in separate bags).
• Holds notices will be emailed within an hour of when the item is available for those patrons who have email addresses in their user records and who have chosen to be notified by email. Each library is responsible for contacting users who have chosen to be telephoned regarding available holds. No paper notices will be mailed centrally.
• Holds will also be captured in the normal course of checking in items. These holds should be processed and routed within 24 hours.

Each library may decide how long to keep its own items on the holds pickup shelf; however, items from outside the local library system should be held on the holds shelf for a maximum of seven (7) open business days [2009.05], then returned to the owning library or forwarded to the next person waiting in line for a hold.

Staff should monitor the holds shelf and remove items that have not been picked up within the designated amount of time or whose holds have been cancelled.

Identify the holds which should be placed back into circulation.

1. View the holds shelf (Circulation > Holds Shelf). The list you see should match the books that are actually present on your holds shelf. (Sorting is not available in the 2.12 web client, but is targeted to be available in the 3.0 web client.)
2. Determine which items should be pulled off of the holds shelf.
   • If you check the View Clearable Holds box, it will show you which items have been on the holds shelf for more than 7 days.
   • The Available On column displays the date that the item was actually placed on the holds shelf.
   • Each library system may determine how many days to allow their own items to remain on the holds shelf. However, items belonging to a different library system should not be held for more than 7 days.
3. Scan the items in the Checkin interface using the ‘Clear Holds Shelf’ Checkin Modifier (see Checkin Modifiers).
   • If you have checked the View Clearable Holds box and you press the Clear These Holds button, the current holds for the listed items are all cancelled at once, but their item status will still read 'On holds shelf' until you check the items in. If you use this method, you do not need to use the 'Clear Holds Shelf' Checkin Modifier, you can just check the books in as normal.
   • If you use the 'Clear Holds Shelf' Checkin Modifier, be sure to disable the modifier before checking in other books. (On the Check In screen, press the Checkin Modifiers button on the bottom-right of the screen and select Clear Holds Shelf to remove the checkmark.)

When a patron returns an item that is owned by another library, the system will print out a transit slip directing the staff to return the item to the owning library (or to the next location waiting for a hold on the item). Route these items to the appropriate location within 24 hours of their return.

A hold can be placed on an item and then suspended (inactivated) until a later date by staff or the patron. The holds targeter will ignore these holds while they are inactive.

If an activation date is set, the system will automatically reactivate the hold on the set date. If not, the hold will not reactivate until manually reactivated by the patron or by library staff.

A staff member or a patron may change the pickup library of a hold after the hold has been placed. Once the pickup location has been changed, the item needs to be scanned on the checkin screen to place it in transit to the correct pickup library.

A patron may change the pickup location of a hold by going to My Account > Holds, then clicking the 'Edit' link next to the title.

Staff may change the pickup location of a hold from the Holds Shelf screen or from the Patron's Hold screen (Actions > Edit Pickup Library).

If the hold has its pickup library changed while it is in transit to the original pickup library, when it arrives and is scanned in, it will print a new transit slip to the new pickup library.

If the hold has its pickup library changed after it has already arrived at the original pickup library, the Status on the Holds Shelf screen will say 'Wrong Shelf.' If staff see the Wrong Shelf status, staff should re-scan the item on the check in screen in order to place it into transit to the new destination.

A library may choose to have the holds shelf located in a staff-only area or in a public area where patrons can retrieve their own holds. Libraries that have public holds shelves can offer patrons the ability to request that their holds are placed in a private area. To make use of this feature, the library should set the “Behind Desk Pickup Supported” option to “true” in the Library Settings Editor. This will display a “Hold is behind Circ Desk” option on the patron information screen. Hold slips for these patrons will print with the notation “PRIVATE HOLDS SHELF” and all other hold slips will print with the notation “PUBLIC HOLDS SHELF” [2014.05].

Audio-visual items and age-protected items are only available for holds by patrons registered to the owning library/region, and are only available for pickup within the item's owning system. [2007.02]

Under normal circumstance, PINES does not allow intra-PINES loans on the following item categories:

• Audiobooks
• CDs
• Deposit (monetary)
• DVDs
• Bestsellers
• Equipment
• Leased Materials
• Microforms
• New Books
• Outreach
• Reference
• Reserve
• Software
• Toy
• Videocassettes
• Video Games

Items of these types may be placed on hold only within regional library systems. Leased items will be treated the same as any other book with regards to holds [2006.11].

For other item types, a title-level hold will find the first available copy of the title in PINES to fill the hold. The Holds report will first look for an available copy in the patron’s pickup library, then in the pickup library’s system; if no copy is available, it will then select a copy from another PINES library.

The Executive Committee has approved a special reciprocal arrangement for Dougherty County Public Library and Lee County Library regarding holds restrictions in all formats (except new items). Lee County and Dougherty County patrons are allowed to place their own holds on either system’s restricted formats with the exception of age-protected items. This exemption only affects DCPL and LEE home library patrons. [2007.12]

Age Protection allows libraries to prevent holds on new books (on a copy by copy basis) from outside the owning library's branch or system for a designated amount of time. The purpose of this is to give the library's local patrons a chance to check out the new book before sending it off to other libraries. Libraries typically use this feature for popular fiction, but may also choose to use it for any or all other new books.

Each item (copy) has an “age_protect” flag which may be set to 3 month, 6 month, or None (based on the item's activation date):

• If set to “3 month” and the item was made active less than 3 months ago, the item is only holdable by patrons whose home library matches the circulating library of the copy. (Note: The system interprets 3 months as 90 days.) After 3 months, the item will automatically roll over to 6 month age protection.
• If “6 month” is set and the item was made active less than 6 months ago, the item is only holdable by patrons whose home library is within the same system as the circulating library of the item. (Note: The system interprets 6 months as 180 days.) After 6 months is over, the item will no longer be age protected and holds may be placed on it from any PINES location, but the age_protect flag will still appear as “6 month.”
• If age protect is set to None, then no age protection occurs and the holds can be placed on the item from any PINES location.

Library staff may place up to 20 holds on a single title at once for the purpose of obtaining copies for book clubs. To use, place a title-level hold as normal but select a number from the Number of Copies dropdown list. [2019.01]

See: Instructions for Circulation and Reference Staff (Video)