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    Holds not defaulting to available items; start/end dates of 99/99/9999

    • Article Type: General
    • Product: Aleph
    • Product Version: 18.01

    Description:
    Certain Title requests have start and end dates of 99/99/9999.

    I opened up cataloguing and created a new bib record system number 002029495.
    I then went to the items tab and added 3 items with the same item status but different sublibrary codes...
    X-20354 - Canaan Lane,
    X-20355 - Comely Bank
    X-20356 - Craighouse
    X-20357 - Craiglockhart

    I then opened up the web OPAC
    searched for my record (Test title for title holds)
    Clicked on the number in the first column of the results list and then in the full view of the record clicked on the locations link.
    At the top of the item list is a Request Item button which is the link to the title level request.
    Click on go in the resulting forms to place the request.

    I then opened up the GUI circulation module, entered my patron ID.
    In the patrons holds list you will see the hold listed 4 times, one for each copy and in the first there are actual start and end dates but in the following 3 there is 99/99/9999 in both the start and end date fields.

    Resolution:
    The 99999999 was not a bug – but a correct behavior.

    The first title request gets a ‘real’ start and end dates. This is in order to make it ‘active’.
    Active means that call slips will be created for it and daemons will process it.

    From the second title request and on – a 999999 is put in the start and end dates – to indicate a future date. This is an indication for a non-active request. This means that call slips will not be created for it and daemons will ignore it.

    See the Powerpoint ("How to configure and use title hold requests") attached to KB 7212 for complete info.

    Only after the p_cir_79 (Title Request Router) service is activated and finds the second title request – the second title request becomes active. Cir-79 gives it a correct start and end dates and assigns it to an available item.
    After that, call slips will be created for it and it will be processed.


    • Article last edited: 10/8/2013