To give students more control over their holds and help your waitlists cycle more efficiently, OverDrive is planning updates to holds functionality.
What does this mean?
In early 2020, OverDrive will remove auto-checkout from Sora and introduce hold redelivery. Hold redelivery will allow students to freeze holds even after they’re made available to them and maintain their place on the wait list. This update will enable students to pass books they do not yet have time to read to the next person in line.
How will hold redelivery work?
When OverDrive introduces hold redelivery, they will also add in-app notifications. Students will receive these notifications when a hold is available, prompting them to select one of the following options:
- Borrow the title within a three-day pickup period.
- Freeze the hold (redeliver it) and pass the book to the next person in line. After seven days, the student will be able to borrow the book when the next copy becomes available.
If the student takes no action, their hold will automatically be suspended one time for seven days. If no action is taken a second time, the hold will be canceled automatically. Students can cancel a hold at any time by going to Holds > Edit hold > Cancel hold.
Note: Anyone using the classic OverDrive website or app will not receive additional notifications. If students using those platforms do not borrow the title within the initial three-day pickup period, the hold will be frozen for seven days as a one-time courtesy. If they take no action the second time a hold becomes available, the hold will be canceled.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We will share a date for this roll-out as soon as we have one.
