Holds @ ICPL

What did Iowa City Public Library patrons do 146,917 times in Fiscal Year 2015? They placed a HOLD on a Library material. You may place a hold by logging into your account online or Library staff are happy to help you place a hold.

Holds, also known as "Reserves" are a convenient way to access Library materials. At the Library there are two different kinds of holds: Holds on materials checked out to other patrons and Holds on materials checked in and available (we'll pull the items from the shelf for you!). You may have 10 free holds on your Library Account at any given time and, as a convenience, items stay on the Holds Shelf for 6 days to give you time to come in and pick them up.
Unfortunately, some holds are not picked up. We understand ... sometimes plans change, sometimes you forget, or sometimes you are out of town. We have a new service to help you better manage your holds: FREEZE a HOLD.

FREEZE a HOLD - what does that mean? If you requested an item, but want to delay when it is ready to be picked up, you can log in to your account and freeze the hold on that item. For example, if you are going on vacation and don't want to miss getting your requested items, you can freeze the holds before you leave and then unfreeze them when you return. You will do this by logging into your account and indicating which holds you wish to freeze or unfreeze. There are some times when a hold may not be frozen - if you received a notice the hold was available for pick-up it is too late to freeze it at that point.

If you have questions about this new service, please stop by or give us a call.