Place a hold and get notified automatically

Since June, members place holds themselves when every copy of a publication is on loan. We’re now building on that. Until now, nobody heard automatically when a copy with a hold came back: the library team checked by hand who was next, and the person waiting only got a message once the team lent them the copy.

When a copy of a publication with a hold is returned, Librario now notifies the library team automatically. The next person in the queue also gets a direct notification, by email and in the app, and can borrow the copy right away. Only when self-service borrowing is disabled does Librario skip this direct notification: the library team then handles the loan as usual, and Librario notifies the waiting person once the team records the loan for them. Whoever returns a copy always sees in the return dialog who is next in line.

Librarians now see the queue right on the publication: the new Holds tab next to the copies shows how many requests are open and who is waiting. After returning a copy with a hold, the team lands in that tab automatically and lends the copy to the next person in one click.

Members see their position in the queue both on the publication page and under My loan requests. In libraries with self-service borrowing, the hold dialog already announces the notification when the hold is placed. More in What happens when you return a copy?.