Bug 13165 - Don't trigger holds when patrons have already reached limit of checkouts
Summary: Don't trigger holds when patrons have already reached limit of checkouts
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: Koha
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Hold requests (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Hardware: All All
: P5 - low enhancement (vote)
Assignee: Bugs List
QA Contact: Testopia
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2014-10-29 20:33 UTC by Christopher Brannon
Modified: 2023-08-30 17:14 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

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Description Christopher Brannon 2014-10-29 20:33:48 UTC
I would love to see holds updated to act kind of like the Netflix DVD queue system.  The system could be configured for individual library control or global control where a limit is set of how many holds can be active for an individual patron.  All other hold requests are queued.  Patrons can go in to their accounts and rearrange the order of priority on their holds queue.

The only question would be, should the holds queue advance when a hold has been filled or picked up, or should it wait until a held item has been returned?  

The first method would simply stagger delays in holding, and not really help with hording of items.  The patron would be picking up groups of holds separately rather than all together.

The second method would mean that holds would need to be marked in the issues table somehow, in order to keep track of how many holds the patron has on hand, and to differentiate from regular checkouts.

So maybe instead the limit should be based off the total number of items and holds the patron has altogether.  For example, the patron has a limit of 25 items that can be checked out/held.  They currently have 15 items checked out, and therefore can only have 10 active holds.  Maybe 8 items come in and are checked out, resulting in 23 items checked out and 2 items on hold.  Nothing moves in the queue until something is checked back in or an active hold that hasn't been filled is cancelled.

Just an idea.  Would love to hear input on this.

Christopher
Comment 1 Katrin Fischer 2020-01-06 12:31:27 UTC
You kinda lost me there 
"I would love to see holds updated to act kind of like the Netflix DVD queue system." :)
Comment 2 Christopher Brannon 2020-06-26 20:36:50 UTC
(In reply to Katrin Fischer from comment #1)
> You kinda lost me there 
> "I would love to see holds updated to act kind of like the Netflix DVD queue
> system." :)

Are you being funny, or just don't know?  Maybe it is just a US thing?

Basically, a patron could have placed 50 holds, but they are only allowed to have 10 holds at a time.

Thinking about this more, we can kind of do this, but it means limiting the checkouts to 10.

But the idea behind this is that their next hold request cannot get triggered until they are below the threshold.  That threshold could be:
* Number of items currently checked out
* Number of items currently checked out from other libraries
* Number of items currently in transfer or waiting

I'm leaning towards the second one: Number of items currently checked out from other libraries.  But, you could have 50 items on their way, and then after the 10th item checks out, the rest turn around and go home or to the next person.  Waste of time.  It might need to be a combination of the second and third.  number of items currently transfer or waiting, and then if that is below the threshold, number of items currently checked out from other libraries.

This idea stems from examples of patrons that hoard lots of items through holds.  We also have patrons that place tons of holds and either don't pick them up, or pick through what comes in and only checks out what they want.  Holds are not for browsing here.

I HOPE that helps.
Comment 3 Katrin Fischer 2020-06-27 13:13:41 UTC
Yes it does. Indeed Netflix loaning DVDs were never a thing here in Germany, afaik. So I didn't know how this works/worked.
Comment 4 Katrin Fischer 2020-06-27 13:15:57 UTC
I think you are right that this turns into limiting checkouts in some way. So a hold can only trigger when there is 'room' on the patron account?
Comment 5 Katrin Fischer 2023-07-09 11:21:59 UTC
I am not sure if we could make this transparent to the user. They might just assume that they can return items prior to picking up their holds and I would think that of a valid use of the system - timing their visit to the library to do both things. 

And we can limit the amount of holds a patron can place too...

Not sure if that would not overcomplicate.
Comment 6 Christopher Brannon 2023-07-10 15:38:57 UTC
I think that it should be up to the system admin to implement, not how complicated we might think it is for the patron.  If a library can communicate this well, it would be worth it.

It could simply be communicated at the time the hold is being placed like a warning: "Please note that holds are not filled if you have reached the limit of your library's checkouts."

Maybe we could even have something that would display checkout limits, if any.

It should be up to the library whether this would be implemented or not, leaving it to the library as to whether a patron's holds can be filled if their checkout limits have been reached.

As is, a patron gets notified that they have a hold, and they go to pick it up, only to find out that they can't check it out until they return something.  They probably are not prepared with this dilemma, and have to return home to get something to return so they can claim their hold.  With a new option, they are not even eligible or notified until they are under the limit.