You’ve just finished Book 3 of your favorite series and desperately need Book 4. You don’t have time to come to the library right away so you place a hold, and now comes the waiting game and that nagging question: “Where is my hold?”

Having worked at the library for seven years and getting asked this question a number of times, let me walk you through the holds process and why it might not always be as cut and dry as it seems.

One factor to bear in mind is whether the item is available or already checked out. Anything that is checked out will be dependent on when it’s returned to the library, so unfortunately, we don’t have any control over that. However, if the item is available, then the process runs a bit smoother.

Our Circulation Department has people assigned to work on processing holds ALL DAY! They will print a list of holds and go through the library gathering items to either be placed on our hold shelves, or to be sent to other libraries. This happens multiple times a day and results in an average of 500 items being processed daily!

Now that Circulation has collected the book from the shelves it then goes to our workroom where it gets processed — scanning the book into the computer where the hold gets triggered and the book goes from a status of “Available” to “On Holdshelf,” or if it’s leaving the library, “In Transit.”

If the status is “On Holdshelf,” chances are that’s where you’ll find your hold. Of note, this is not an instantaneous process. Remember, we process 500 items a day so carts are filled with holds and brought to the shelves throughout the day. If you are an Eau Claire customer picking up an Eau Claire item that was available then most likely you will be able to pick up that item within a 24-hour time period.

But what if the item isn’t available at Eau Claire and needs to come from another library? That’s when things get a little tricky. First, some of our smaller libraries may not have the staff available to be pulling holds throughout the day as we do. Second, when an item shows “In Transit,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s actually in a vehicle making its way to the Eau Claire library. As soon as the book is scanned into the computer, that’s when the status changes to “In Transit.” But just like books waiting to be put on a hold shelf, transit books are waiting as well. Bins are filled with numerous items and wait to be picked up by our courier service, which is stationed out of Chippewa Falls. Since the Eau Claire Library acquires so many items that need to be sent back and forth we have delivery every day from our courier. Several of our smaller libraries only have delivery services three times a week. So, if you’re waiting for an item coming from Park Falls, it went into “In Transit” status on Thursday afternoon, they won’t have courier pickup again until Monday! And that still doesn’t mean it’s coming directly to Eau Claire. Everything gets sent to the hub in Chippewa Falls where items are sorted out from the various libraries and THEN they make their way to the appropriate library where the hold item is being picked up.

But wait, there’s more! Due to the vast amount of hold items that we receive, it can take a few days for us to process them on our end and get them ready to be added to the shelves for you to pick up. And sometimes, we have staff shortages, whether it’s at the library or the courier service, so it takes longer to get items delivered. This is why we really don’t know for sure when your hold is going to be available for you to pick up. It definitely can be frustrating, especially if you need the book for a book club, trip, or you’re just very eager to read it! While you wait, our staff would be happy to help you find something else that will be just as enjoyable.

Hopefully this deep dive into the holds process has given you a better understanding of how it works and why a precise timeline is not always an option. Have no fear, Book 4 is making its way to you, and oh the stories it could tell.