If the item you're looking for is checked out to someone else, you can request that a hold be placed on it. When the item is returned, the Lending Staff will set the item aside for you, and you will receive either an email or an automated telephone call from our Telephone Notification System, informing you that your hold is ready to pick up.
- Who can place
holds?
In order to provide our entire borrowing community with equal access to our most popular materials, Greenwich Library makes it possible for everyone with a valid Library Card to place a hold request on an item.
- How do I know if my hold has
been placed?
With your
Library card, you can use the "View My Library Account" feature of our website
to see which items are on hold for you.
You can also call the Telephone Renewals phone number (203) 622-7970 with your Library Card in hand. To hear which items are on hold for you, press 1 after the first prompt, then enter the barcode number from your Library Card, followed by the pound sign (#). The automated voice will read your Library Card barcode number back to you. If this is the correct number, press pound (#) to accept. Now press 3 to hear how many holds you have. You can press 1 to list individual titles on hold, and press pound (#) to skip to the next title in the list.
- Why has my hold been denied?
If your hold has been denied, it is usually because there is a problem with your Library Record. Some common problems are:
- Your Card has expired
- You owe a fine of more than $5.00
- Your Card is blocked because the Circulation Staff need to clear up some other problem with your record
- Your Card has been issued by another Town in CT, and has not yet been registered with Greenwich Library
The next time you are in the Library, stop by the Patron Services Desk (to the left of the Returns Desk), and a staff member will be able to help you with your record.
- Are there any materials that can't be requested?
Periodicals, art prints, and items that have a status of "Missing", "Billed", "Claims Returned", "Lost and Paid", as well as Reference items can not be requested.
- Do Holds Expire?
Yes, holds expire on the "Cancel if not filled by" date specified by the Patron at the time the hold is placed. If this date is left blank, a default time period of 180 days will be applied to the request. If the hold request is not filled by this time, it will automatically be canceled and dropped from the Patron's record. Please note, that time periods of much longer than 180 days can be selected by manually inputting the "Cancel if not filled by" date of your choice at the time of the request.
- I am going away, how can I make sure I don't lose my holds?
You can "Freeze" your holds by logging in to your account and clicking on the line of text that tells you how many holds you have. At the far right of your list of holds is a column called "Freeze". Simply check the box in this column next to the items you wish to have frozen and press the "Update List" button. Frozen holds will display with a grey background, instead of our usual white. When you are ready to start picking up your holds again, just log back in, uncheck the "Freeze" box next to the holds you want to reinstate, and press the "Update List" button. When your hold is ready you will be contacted in the usual manner. Please note – It is not possible to "Freeze" a hold on an item that has a status of "Available", "Ready for Pickup" or "In Transit". Freezing a hold will not stop it from being canceled once it reaches the "Cancel if Not Filled By" Date.
- Are there
any limits to the number of requests I can place?
Please keep in mind that holds placed on items which have the status "available" must be retrieved from the shelf and there is only a limited number of staff to perform this service. Should a patron place so many hold requests that we feel it negatively affects our ability to provide this service to the entire community, the Library will place limits on such requests.
- How am I notified that my hold has been filled?
You will receive either an email or an automated telephone call informing you that your hold is ready to pick up.
In the interest of fairness to other patrons, the amount of time that your items will be held for you cannot be changed.
In order to make sure that you are notified about your hold, it is important to make sure that you inform the Lending staff if your phone number or email address changes.
You can also check on the status of your holds online, by using the "View My Library Account" menu option. From here, you can see all of your holds and their status. If a hold's status is "Ready For Pickup", you can come in and get it.
Since the Telephone Notification System is only run (manually) up to a few times per day, it is possible to find out about a hold online that is ready for pick up before you are actually called about it.
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Can I be notified about my holds via email?
Yes, patrons have the option to receive notification of holds and overdue items by email. All you need is your Library Card to sign up on our Web site. Unlike telephone notification, email notification will tell you exactly what item is on hold for you, and since it is sent to your personal email address, there should be less need for guessing about which member of your household has an item waiting for them.
Entering your email address means that you will receive notification of holds and overdue items only by email. Telephone and mail notices will no longer be sent. Bills for items that have been long overdue will still be sent by mail.
To sign up on our Web site, just go to the "View My Library Account" utility on our homepage. Log in to your account, and you'll see the option to "Modify Patron Info" Click on this button and enter your email address in the box provided, then press "Submit." The next time you log in, your email address should appear beneath your other contact information, please verify that it has been entered correctly. Only one email address can be entered but you can change your email address at any time by repeating the steps above. Patrons are responsible for keeping their contact information current.
All emailed notices from Greenwich Library will display the name "lendingservices@greenwichlibrary.org" in the "From" field.
As with all of our Patron Record information, your email
address is considered confidential. Greenwich Library does not share this
information with anyone. For more about Greenwich Library's Confidentiality
Policy, click here.
- The
catalog says the item is "available," what does that mean?
When an item's status is "available", it means that the item is in the Library. If you place an online hold for an "available" item, you will not be able to pick it up until your online record indicates that the item is "ready for pickup", or you have received telephone notification. It normally takes several days to process an "available" hold request. In the meantime, it is still possible that the item may be checked out to another patron who found it on the shelf before our staff was able to set it aside for you. The fastest way to have an item set aside for you, is to call the Reference Desk during Library hours at (203) 622-7910, and ask them to pull the item from our shelf and set it aside for you.
- How long do I have to pick
up my material?
The Telephone Notification System will tell you how long you have to pick up your material, and email notices will provide you with a link to your Library account, where you may view this information.
In order to provide fair service to our entire borrowing community, the amount of time given to pick up your materials cannot be changed.
We ask that patrons pick up all items being held for them.
- How
can I check on the status of my hold?
You can check on the status of your hold by using the "View My Library Account" utility. This will tell you if a hold is "ready for pick up", or not. You can also see how far down the waiting list you are for an item. Keep in mind that your position on the list may fluctuate slightly due to unforeseen events beyond our control. It is for this reason that we ask our patrons to look at the list as an approximation of when their materials will be available, and not as an exact meter.
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How can I keep track of my holds online?
You can log in to "My Library Account" to see which items are on hold for you. To view your holds, click on the link that says how many Requests (holds) you have.
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Where are the self service hold shelves located?
The self service hold shelves are located in the Self Check-out area where the self check machines are currently located.
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How will my privacy be protected, and how will my items be shelved?
Hold slips contain the item's information, the first four letters of your last name and the last four digits of your barcode; no other personal information is on the slip. Items are arranged alphabetically by a combination of your last name and card number.
For example, material for John Smith with card # 21117001234567 will be filed under Smit , 4567.
The items are shelved spine down. Letters of the alphabet are clearly marked with signage to help you locate your items.
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What if someone else tries to check out one of my held items?
A person cannot check-out an item that is not on hold for them. The self check machines will stop the transaction.
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What if I want to pick-up a family member's holds?
You must bring your family member's card with you, or you will need to have your accounts linked. If you do not have your family member's card, once your cards are linked, we can check out the items for you at the Returns Desk. Forms for linking accounts are available at the Returns Desk.
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Where will inter-library loan (ILL) items be kept?
ILL items will be kept behind the Returns Desk. Book dummies will be placed on the self service hold shelves to indicate where to pick up your items.
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When do holds expire and what happens when they expire?
Holds may remain on the shelf a maximum of 5 days for books/CDs and 4 days for DVDs. In the morning, we remove all expired holds at 9:00 a.m.
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Are video game discs kept on the hold shelf with the case?
No, the discs are still kept behind the Returns Desk. You may check-out the case at the self-check machine and retrieve the disc from the Returns Desk. Alternatively, you may check-out the game at the Returns Desk and obtain the disc at the same time. Small reminder slips are attached to the back of all video games on hold.
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What happens if I have several on hold at the same time or I have an oversize item on the hold shelf?
In such cases, we will put one of the items (or a book dummy) on the shelf and attach a slip to let you know where your items are located.