To recreate: - place an item-level hold - suspend the hold - without unsuspending or capturing the hold, check the item out to the patron - the suspended hold remains on the patron account If a hold is not suspended (and not captured) and the patron checks the item out, the hold is marked as filled. Should we do the same on suspended holds?
On first glance I think the behavior is correct. When the hold is suspended, it's not in effect, so it should not be triggered/filled. I think at the circulation desk, we could ask, but then the issue remains for SIP2/self checkout.
This has caused some confusion with my libraries. It usually happens when the patron suspends a hold until a certain date, finds the item on the shelf and checks it out, the hold unsuspends in the meantime and when they return the item, it tries to give it to them again. That can lead to an upset patron if they get notified to come back in to pick up a hold without realizing it is the item they recently returned. A clever patron could also abuse this to keep an item longer by placing a hold, suspending it, checking the item out, then unsuspending right before they return it. That would keep their hold at the top of the list so when they return the item, they'd skip over any other holds and get the item again. I can't think of a case where we would want to maintain a suspended hold if the item is checked out to the requesting patron but we're in a largely public library setting. Maybe "fill suspended holds on checkout" could be a system preference?
I think that if the item being checked out is a suspended hold, it should prompt staff to ask if the patron wants to retain this hold or cancel it. I think the self-check should ask as well. Can this be accomplished through SIP, or should it just cancel it and send the patron a notification with an explanation, or ignore it all together (maybe a setting to decide what the preference is)?
I agree with Christopher. Koha should prompt staff to ask if the patron would like to cancel the suspended hold, and it should prompt the patron at the self check as well.
I agree with Christopher as well. I think having a prompt would be the most efficient way to handle this situation.