Patron notifications for holds that become unavailable
Issue
When a patron places an item-level hold and the item’s status is later changed to Missing, Lost, or another status that renders the item unfillable, the patron is not notified of this change. The hold remains in place without any communication, leaving the patron unaware that the request can no longer be fulfilled. This also happens with bib-level holds when the last available item linked to the record goes to a status like Missing or Unavailable.
Requested Enhancement
When a hold becomes unfillable due to a status change (e.g., Missing, Lost, Withdrawn, etc.), Polaris should automatically notify the patron that the status of the item has changed, and it can no longer be filled.
Ideally, this notification would function similarly to other automated hold status communications.
Benefits
Improves patron experience and transparency
Reduces confusion and unnecessary wait times
Decreases staff intervention to manually identify and explain unfillable holds
Aligns system behavior with patron expectations for automated status updates
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Alliah Krahn
commented
To respond to Wes: I believe we do have cancellation notices turned on, but as far as we can tell, those only get sent if staff notice the hold is unfillable and manually cancel it.
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Wes Osborn
commented
Do you have hold cancellation notices turned on in your organization? Those are slightly lacking right now because there is a no reason listed on the notices, but in theory that should be coming soon: https://portal.productboard.com/iii/6-innovative-product-status-board-new/c/1098-enter-a-reason-when-cancelling-holds-
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Tracy Paradis
commented
This is a great idea!