Question

Is there any way to prevent patrons who have reached the loan limit from placing hold requests?

Answer

Specify check_hold_request_4_x values in the ./xxx50/tab/tab_hold_request.
(Note: the check_hold_request_4_x functions are available only in version 21-up.; there is no way to block patrons at the loan limit from placing hold requests in version 20 and earlier.)

Additional Information

The loan limit is col. 12 in ./xxx50/tab/tab16:

! COL 12. 3; NUM; ;
! Max no. of loans;
! Max number of loans
! The maximum number of loans a patron is allowed to
! have of a specific item status or of all item statuses
! when relating to the 99 line....

One might expect this value to automatically prevent a patron from borrowing more than nnn books or placing requests when the borrower is already at the nnn loan limit, but, as is the case with almost all such limits in Aleph, this does *not* happen automatically.

It occurs only if the relevant check_circ values are set in tab_check_circ, and, for requests, check_hold_request values, in tab_hold_request. These are the latter:

! 4_a : checks if patron has exceeded the loan 6111 PRE, POST, CIRC
! limit for the item status (tab16 column 12)
! 4_b : checks if patron has exceeded the loan 6120 PRE, POST, CIRC
! limit for the sub library (tab16 column 12)
! 4_c : checks if patron has exceeded the loan 6130 PRE, POST, CIRC
! limit for the ADM library (tab16 column 12)
! 4_d : checks if patron has exceeded the loan 6140 PRE, POST, CIRC
! limit for the sub library group (tab16 column 12)

Note: These check_hold_request_4_x values are *not* specified in the ./usm50/tab/tab_hold_request.

• Article last edited: 11/20/2013