Trapping at check-in is a hardcoded built in process within Polaris to aid with filling patron hold requests. Once the item is trapped at check-in, a hold notice is immediately placed in the queue (if hold notices are enabled), and depending on the delivery method, is sent shortly thereafter. If the library is planning on quarantining items for a period of time, sending out the hold notice and having the item appear as held on a patron's account might not be desired until the quarantining process is over.

Below are some potential options for handling this situation. Please note that these options are not meant to be a one-size fits all solution, but rather guiding points to help the library towards what might work for them. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to submit a ticket to start a conversation with your Site Manager.

Reactivating the hold request at Check-In:

This can apply to manual or bulk check-ins when using the Staff Client or Leap. In order for a reactivated hold request to maintain their position in the queue, please start with step 1 to either make the necessary settings change in System Administration, or to verify the setting is in place. If maintaining queue position is not of concern, please skip ahead to step number 3.

1) To verify or enable the ability for a reactivated hold request to maintain its position in the hold queue please navigate to: Administration > Explorer > System > System/Library/Branch level (as desired) > Parameters > Request tab > Holds Options.

2) Within the Holds Options pop-up window navigate to the Queue tab. Here towards the bottom left is a checkbox called "Maintain queue position if re-activated". Select this box (if unchecked) and click OK to apply. Then be sure to click the Save button at the top of System Administration, and please note it may be necessary to completely log out of Polaris and log back in before the change is seen.

3) Upon check-in, a pop-up should appear asking the staff member if they would like to place the item on hold for the next patron in the queue. At this prompt click the option "No".

4) Another pop-up should appear asking if the hold request should be re-activated. At this pop-up click the option "Yes". If the Hold Option for "Maintain queue position if re-activated" was selected in steps 1 and 2, then the patron will remain first in line.

5) Once the quarantine period is over for the item(s), check-in any items that would have fulfilled a hold request again. This time, select to trap the item for the hold request to print out the hold slip and place the hold notice in the notification queue.

Notifying patrons of the quarantine period within the Hold notice

In case something does go into a Held status during check-in, or if Staff choose to continue forth with placing items into a Held state; it might be good to update the language used on the Hold notices. This can be done through the Web Admin / Language Editor. Some of the language strings used within Hold Notices which could be customized by the library include:

For: Email

Language String ID: NT_HOLD_EM_TEXT

Default Language: “The following items are being held for you at the library. Please pick the items up on or before the date indicated.”

For: Text/SMS

Language String ID: NT_HOLD_SMS_TEXT

Default Language: “You may pickup [TITLE] at [BRANCH] until [DATE].”

For: Printed Mailer

Language String ID: NT_HOLD_M_TEXT

Default Language: “The following items are being held for you at the library. Please pick the items up on or before the date indicated.”

Using an old or unused branch location in Polaris

This option may not be for every library, and it is highly encouraged to discuss this option with your Site Manager before going forth with it. However, if the library has an "extra" or unused branch in Polaris, this "location" could be used as a temporary quarantine placement. The idea is: staff could log into Polaris (Staff Client or Leap) as the unused branch to conduct the check-ins. This process would check-in the returned items to remove them from patron accounts. Then, depending on system settings, would either check the item into that branch, place the item in transit to its assigned branch, or (if the item could fulfill a hold) into a status of transferred to the pickup location.

Focusing on the issue of hold requests, when an item is checked-in at a branch other than the pickup branch, and the item is trapped to fulfill the hold request (i.e. not following the workflow mentioned in the section "Reactivating the hold request at Check-In"). Then the item goes into a status of Transferred, and does not go into a status of Held, nor does it generate the hold notice until it is checked-in a second time when staff are logged into the proper pickup branch location. The item can then sit in quarantine during this "transferred" period.

All other items would then go into a status of In (particularly if floating is enabled), or a status of in-transit back to its assigned branch location. These items would stay within their respective statuses until they are checked-in a second time when staff are logged into their proper branch location, after the items have completed their quarantine phase.

This solution could work at libraries that have and use a SIP sorter, or a SIP check-in machine. Adjust the SIP check-in machine/sorter to connect to the SIP port of the unused branch location. All check-ins by the machine would then process as if they were at the unused branch location; placing the item into an In, In-Transit, or Transferred status.

If the library does not have an unused branch location within their Polaris ILS, it is possible to create one. However, please speak with your Site Manager before creating a new branch location within System Administration. There are a multitude of settings that would need to be configured to make sure the new location does not appear to patrons.