Assisting patrons
Masquerade mode allows staff working with patrons to place holds for them directly through the Aspen catalog.
When assisting patrons, you can optionally review edition and format options, as well as your library's holdings on the title. In most cases, it is best to place the hold at the grouped work level.
Place a hold at grouped record level
Seeing a title with several grouped records will help illustrate how hold placement title selection logic works.
Pride and prejudice, by Jane Austen, is available in multiple formats and editions. Formats are listed, with a Show Editions button below to expand all editions within that format.
Formats
Place Hold can be selected at the main format level. In this example, the status indicator It's Here, followed by the library name and shelving location, indicates that an available copy is at my library.
When the hold is placed, the title selected will place the hold on the bibliographic record owned by my library, if available. Click Show Editions, to see all editions and identify which edition the hold will be placed against. In this case, it is the 1995, Modern Library, edition which is available at my library. Generally, the editions are listed based on status, with titles owned by my library listed first within each availability status.
Editions
If the patron is interested in a specific edition, expand Show Editions. Select the Place Hold button for the edition desired. If the library owns multiple editions, all will be shown when the list is expanded.
In the case of non-fiction, the most recent edition will be selected when placing a hold at the format level. For example, when placing a hold at the format level for Top 10 Rome, the most recent edition determined by the publication date is chosen.
Tips when placing a hold
- Locate a specific format the patron wants (e.g. book vs large print).
- For new popular fiction, place the hold at the format level.
- The system will use the built-in smart algorithm to select available copies, looking at the local library first.
- If there are hold queues and no available copies, hold ratios will be factored in.
- Where multiple editions exist, ask the patron if a specific edition is preferred.
- Check edition availability to help identify the copy most likely to fill the hold more quickly.
- Remember that for non-fiction, the selection criteria looks at newest edition.
- When placing an edition-specific hold, look for the edition your library owns.
- Local patrons receive hold priority when filling holds.
Holds on multi-volume sets and serials
When placing holds on multi-volume sets and serials/magazines, the hold is placed on the call number. This is unique to items with volume information to enable holds placement on a specific issue or volume.
When a patron places a hold, they will see a prompt to select a call number.
Hold pickup location settings
Limits on hold pickup locations apply to the patron, not the catalog. A patron will see the same available pickup locations no matter what catalog they use. If you are using masquerade mode, you will also see the patron's pickup settings.
Patrons can customize their options under My Account > Preferences:
- Set Preferred Pickup Locations which appear at the top of the location drop down when they place holds.
- Bypass pickup location prompt when placing holds, so they always place a hold at their Preferred Pickup Location and they will not see a prompt to select a location.
When you are assisting patrons from other SWAN libraries, you will not be able to place a hold through the catalog for pick up at your library if:
- The patron's home library does not participate in pick up anywhere
- Your library does not participate in pick up anywhere
System logic of assigning holds to bibliographic record
Grouped records combine works with the same title and author, by format. By default, holds are placed at the title level bibliographic record.
You can place a hold at the format level or on an individual edition. If multiple editions are available, Aspen will sort the editions based on the item most likely to fill the hold fastest and place the hold on the first edition in the list.
The selection criteria for determining appropriate bibliographic record to associate with the hold includes:
- Holdability
- Can a hold be placed by that patron, on that record?
- Latest Edition (nonfiction only)
- For nonfiction, the latest edition is given preference.
- If the latest edition is not available, patron is given option to select another edition.
- Availability
- On shelf at this library? (based on current catalog)
- On shelf at another library?
- If all copies are checked out, items owned by the current catalog library are given preference.
- Hold ratio (Holds/Copies)
- Example: If a library owns more than one edition of a work of fiction, if all are unavailable, the hold will be placed on the edition with the lowest hold ratio.
The following holds decision tree illustrates the selection criteria outlined when the system determines which edition to choose when assigning a title-level hold.
