Too Many Books?

August 24, 2010

It happened to me this week. Typically, I have over 30 items on hold at any given time, but usually the books that come in are for my kids. This week, I’ve finally gotten some for me. Some being six.

• The newest James Patterson
• The newest Lisa Gardner
• Books 7 and 9 in the 39 Clues series [no 8 yet, I hate when that happens]
• The One-Week-Job Project—looked very interesting
• The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo—I’m starting with this one

The problem is that I can only read one book at a time. I’m not one of those people that can go from book to book and read a few chapters of each, while still keeping track of what is happening in each one. That is more than my brain can handle.

Although I am a pretty fast reader, six books seems like a lot to read in one month. Of course they are all popular, so I am sure I will not be able to renew any of them. So what do I do?

I can call or visit my local branch and ask them to suspend some of my holds so that my books will be ready when I am. When you suspend your requested items, you can specify which items you would like to delay and for what length of time. This comes in very handy when you are out of town or have too many holds come in at once--plus you will retain your place in the waiting list. 

You can suspend holds that are not yet available by accessing your account online. (“Available” holds must be suspended by a staff member). The Suspend Holds feature is found on the Holds page of your library account accessible by logging in to our catalog. You can also call your local branch for assistance with this option.  You cannot suspend items from outside of our system from home, but you can call your visit your local branch to discuss an alternative for you.

So the next time you get surprised by how many of your requests have come in, remember there is an answer to, “How am I going to get through all of these?”

Jacqueline R.
Blue Springs South