Currently, a library may limit an item to be holdable for pickup at a single branch location. This setting allows the item to be limited to pick up at the item's assigned branch only. While this feature may work for single-branch libraries, it does not function in a practical way for multi-branch libraries. Expanding this feature to have a library-level option would increase the usability of this setting.

Example 1: Library A has 3 branches. They want to make their mobile hotspots holdable for pickup at any of their 3 branches. They do not want their hotspots to be placed on hold for pickup at other libraries in the consortia. The way the hold limit currently works, they are forced to limit holds to pickup at a single branch. Patrons who try to place holds on the mobile hotspots for pickup at their other two branches are blocked.

Example 2: Library B has two branches: Their normal branch and a separate curbside branch for patrons who do not want to pick up holds inside the library. Library B wants to limit their new videogames to pickup at one of these two branches. Currently, they can only limit pickup to their normal branch. If patrons attempt to place these items on hold for pickup at the curbside branch, they are blocked (and vice versa).

Idea Value
Currently, 35% of the libraries in our consortia have more than one Polaris branch. Adding a library level to the hold limit settings would enable this functionality to be used by all our libraries.

Multi-branch libraries have to employ a few workarounds for items that cannot be sent in transit to other locations, none of which are ideal:

1. Limit holds to only their patrons, which reduces the likelihood a request will be placed for pickup at a different library. If a hold is placed for pickup at another library in the consortia, the library must manually contact the patron to switch their pickup location.

(This isn't ideal, because many libraries would like all collections to be holdable to any patrons who visit their locations. This forces them to be more restrictive than they would like.)

1. Limit holds to pickup only at the item's assigned branch. Patrons who try to pickup at a different branch are blocked from placing a hold.