Holds for book clubs, storytimes, etc

Updated January 2025

Book Clubs:

When copies of a book are needed for a reading club the simplest solution is to place a hold for each member of the club.

If you need to wait for all books to come in before distributing them to patrons, here is the recommended procedure:

  1. Create a Book Club card for your library with a profile of LIBRARYUSE.
    1. ​There are multiple ways of doing this:
      • Last Name “LIBRARYNAME BOOKCLUB” First Name: Person running the club. Ex: Last name: "WESTFIELD, BOOK CLUB" First name:  "Jane Doe"
      • Last Name: LIBRARY First Name: BOOKCLUB, etc.  Ex: Last name: "WESTFIELD" First name: "BOOK CLUB"
      • For the purpose of these cards, use your library's city not the actual name.  ex "WESTFIELD" not "ETHEL EVERHARD"
    2. Decide whose address to use, whose email to get the hold notices, etc
      *** The main point is to use a profile of LIBRARYUSE instead of PUBLIC. ***
  2. Place holds on all the copies you need using this card. You will likely need to place copy level holds. 
  3. As items arrive (or are about to expire), check them out to your library's Book Club card.
  4. As patrons arrive asking for the books, re-check them out to each individual. It will require an override, but that's OK.

This means that the copies have a Current Location of Checkedout so they don't appear Available, and you have a nice long window of opportunity to wait for the readers to come in and pick them up.

Using the Profile of LIBRARYUSE means there won’t be extra padded circ for checking the item out twice.

Since the book club titles will be out of the owning library for a longer period of time, titles should selected that have enough copies and are not likely to be in demand.

Storytimes & Other Staff uses:

Basically it's the same as above​, just change the name to reflect what the card is being used for. 

Last Name “LIBRARYNAME STORYTIME” First Name: Staff person doing the program Ex: Last name: "WESTFIELD, STORYTIME" First name:  "JANE D"
Last Name: LIBRARY First Name: BOOKCLUB, etc.  Ex: Last name: "WESTFIELD" First name: "BOOK CLUB"

Remember, since titles checkedout to LIBRARYUSE cards will be out of circulation for a longer period of time, do not request titles from other libraries that are likely to be in demand.