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    Item is in the closed stacks / Item is on an open shelf messages

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

    Description:
    When placing holds, If the item says "on shelf" and I click on Request item, the OPAC gives me the following statement:

    Item is in the closed stacks.
    Item status: 28 day loan (28) Call number: Z52.5.U54 G43 1986

    We always allow holds but do not have any closed stacks, so do not want to display this message.

    Resolution:
    This message is 6010 in the $aleph_root/error_eng/ directory. It, and a companion message, 6011 ("Item is on an open shelf.") appear in both the check_hold_request and www_heading files:

    6010 L Item is in the closed stacks.
    6011 L Item is on an open shelf.

    The messages come from the check_hold_request program when it examines the value of column 8 of the line in the xxx50 tab15.eng for the item's z30_item_status:

    ! COL 8. 1; ALPHA {Y,N,C,T}, UPPER; ;
    ! Hold request;
    ...
    ! Y - item can be requested. In addition, item availability
    ! is checked when a hold request is placed.
    ! If a copy is available, and the patron does not have permission
    ! for requesting an available item, a message displays.
    ! C - Item can be always be requested, there is no availability
    ! check because hold requests are always allowed (e.g. closed
    ! stack)

    The messages are generated purely from an examination of tab15.lng's column 8 for the item. If it has a value of "C", it produces the "closed stacks" message. If it has a value of "Y", it produces the "open shelf" message. It has nothing to do with the actual on- or off-shelf status of the item; it just tells you whether it is normally an item that can or cannot be held. You can blank out the messages completely by replacing the current lines in both www_heading and check_hold_request with this:

    6010 L
    6011 L


    • Article last edited: 10/8/2013
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