Placing a hold on an in-demand item is a great way to access a book, movie, or any other item that is currently checked out at the Library. (For more information on how to place a hold on an item, please see our video tutorial.) When an item you’ve placed on hold is ready to be picked up, you will either get a phone or email notification (depending on your notification preferences) letting you know that it’s on the hold shelf.
But, what happens if you cannot find your item on the hold shelf? Don’t worry! There are steps you can take to make sure your hold is ready for pick up!
1) Have you received a phone or email notification saying that the item is ready for pick up?
If you have not received a phone or email notification from the Library, your material is not ready. If you’re not sure if you got a notification, that’s okay! Patron Services can help you check the status of your item right at the front desk.
2) Has it been more than three days (Deerfield materials/ILL materials), or seven days (LinkIN) since your item has been on the hold shelf?
Deerfield Public Library materials that are ready for pick up will be on the hold shelf for three days. Materials requested through Deerfield Public Library from other libraries in our consortium (LinkIN or Inter-Library Loan Materials) will be on the hold shelf for seven days.
After the Library closes at the end of the third or seventh day since your item has been on the hold shelf, the item will be removed and go back into circulation. If your pickup time has passed, you can place a hold on, or request, the item again.
3) What is the status of your hold?
Your item on hold will have a status to let you know if it’s ready for pickup. You can see this status by logging into your library account online. Items that are ready for pickup will have a status that says READY FOR PICKUP. Items that are not ready will have a status that tells you what your place on the hold list is, such as 1 OF 1 HOLD(S) or 5 OF 7 HOLD(S), etc.
Items requested from other libraries in our consortium that are not ready for pickup will have a status that says IN-TRANSIT, which means that the item is still on its way from its home library to Deerfield.
Can’t get online? No problem! If you call the library at (847) 945-3311, Patron Services can let you know the status of your hold.
4) Did you put the item on hold after 3 p.m.?
As stated in Section VI of our Circulation Policy, with the exception of Sundays, holds placed by 3:00 p.m. will be filled that day if the material is available. All other holds will be filled within 24 hours of availability. If you need the item sooner, Adult Services, Youth Services, or the Media Department can help you see if the item is available at other libraries in our consortium.
5) Is the Library closing soon?
At 30 minutes until closing time at the Library, all holds that are set to expire at the end of the day are placed on a small cart to the right of the hold shelf. If your hold is expiring at the end of the day and it’s near closing time, be sure to check the expired holds cart!
If after these steps your item is still not on the hold shelf as it should be, our staff is ready to assist you! For all adult materials on hold, including books and audiobooks, please see the Adult Services desk on our lower level. For all media materials, including movies, video games, and music, please see the Media Desk on our upper level. For all youth materials, including youth books and audiobooks, please see the Youth Services desk on our upper level. You can find our holds policy online under Section VI of the Library’s Circulation Policy.
