A Clockwork Hippo

1
A Clockwork Hippo

• How Holds Work in Evergreen
• Mike Rylander, Equinox Software
• Grace Dunbar, Equinox Software

2
Things to know

• Evergreen doesnt place patron initiated holds on
  specific monograph copies it places holds at the
  title level and looks for the closest copies to
  fill them
• The Process
• EG always looks for a copy by
• Creating a potentials list and targeting one
  specific copy (if one is available)
• The copy will appear on the hold pull list of the
  circulating or home library
• The library must run their pull list and
  physically go pull and scan the item to capture
  the hold
• Note that at the point of scanning the item, the
  item may end up being captured for a different
  patron thats okay, it means that the other
  hold got filled opportunistically or canceled.
• EG sometimes looks for a copy by
• Looking for an opportunistic capture at the
  pickup library
• Opportunistic capture can be configured using the
  soft stalling interval, otherwise it is the
  Hungry Hungry Hippos method of hold capture
  anytime an item is scanned anywhere that could
  fill any hold anywhere, it will be captured and
  transited.
• The larger the soft stalling interval the longer
  opportunistic capture keeps looking exclusively
  at the pickup library. This increases the chance
  of serendipitous return and capture of an item
  for a hold and reduces transiting.
• Note that stalling only affects opportunistic
  capture, it doesnt affect targeting.

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Definitions

• Targeting Identification of specific potential
  copies to fulfill holds
• Capture Physically scanning the barcode of an
  item and triggering a specific hold for a patron.
  Until the point of capture, the holds pull list
  is theoretical.
• Opportunistic Serendipitous hold capture if
  any item anywhere is scanned in, it may be
  captured for a hold placed anywhere.
• FIFO Forces opportunistic capture to adhere to
  the exact hold placement order (as much as
  possible)
• Weighting Artificially influences the
  probability of items at specific libraries being
  targeted for holds
• Stalling How long to wait before allowing items
  not at the pickup library to be opportunistically
  captured to fill a hold
• Boundaries Soft boundaries are where you start
  looking for a place to stop. Hard boundaries are
  where you stop. (period)
• Configurable by introducing soft stalling
  interval see Stalling

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Standard Hold Configuration

• Targeting
• Holds Targeting with opportunistic capture at the
  pickup library of a hold.
• The System creates a potentials list by
• Excluding items that are age protected at other
  libraries
• Excluding items whose statuses arent holdable
• By location
• By copy
• By status
• Limiting items by selection depth (if hard
  boundaries are being used)
• Excluding items at libraries that are closed
  (checking closed dates)
• Excluding items that are currently targeted for
  another hold
• From the potentials list, the System identifies
  (targets) one specific copy, closest to the
  pickup library, that is eligible for a hold and
  places it on the hold pull list for capture.
• The hold pull list is run at the library and the
  copy is pulled and captured for a hold OR the
  configurable time expires without capture and the
  system regenerates the potentials list and
  chooses another eligible copy and places it on
  the hold pull list for capture (re-targeting).
• Opportunistic
• If an eligible copy is returned to the pickup
  library before the targeted copy is captured,
  that eligible copy will be captured for the hold
  first. (with stalling)
• If an eligible copy is returned anywhere before
  the targeted copy is captured, that eligible copy
  will be captured for the hold first. (without
  stalling or after the stalling interval expires)

5
http//www.gliffy.com/publish/2066811/
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Hold Boundaries

• Hard
• Patrons cannot place holds across
• Staff cannot place holds across
• They are inflexible, impermeable hard.
• The system will never look beyond a hard
  boundary, even if there are no copies in the soft
  boundary area.

• Soft
• We begin looking for a potential copy at the
  pickup library ranged up to the soft boundary
• If no copy is found, it will walk up the org tree
  (and look down) until it hits a hard boundary
• Once a potential copy is identified it will never
  look further that becomes the hard boundary for
  that hold
• Holds obey standard targeting/opportunistic
  behaviors otherwise

7
http//www.gliffy.com/publish/2066957/
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FIFO

• First In First Out
• FIFO attempts to ensure that holds are filled in
  exact order placed
• FIFO is excellent for smaller geographical areas
• FIFO is also good for geographically dispersed
  consortia for which transit costs are not an
  issue
• Dont set FIFO at each branch set FIFO at the
  top level of intended use.
• If using Hard Boundaries, ensure they are set at
  the same level as FIFO.
• (e.g. If Systems A and B dont resource share,
  set FIFO at System A and System B. If they do
  resource share, set FIFO at the Consortia level.)
• It is not recommended to use stalling in
  conjunction with FIFO as stalling restricts
  transiting. Using stalling and FIFO together
  will make it harder for Evergreen to fill holds
  and increase patron wait times.
• FIFO cannot ever be exact order placed. When
  missing items are found and new items are added
  it changes the potentials list. The next group
  of holds to be targeted or retargeted will have
  the new items and therefore items not at the top
  of the queue might get an available hold sooner.
  Remember the potentials list (and therefore FIFO)
  is also affected by library closed dates.

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Weighting
Are you calling me fat?

• Artificially influences the probability of items
  at specific libraries being targeted for holds
• Really only useful in combination with stalling
• Because stalling only affects opportunistic
  capture and weighting affects targeting the
  stalling gives you time to have that artificial
  weight on the pull list which is part of the
  targeting process.
• Configurable in the library settings editor

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Basic Org Structure for our examples
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Our Scenario Basics

• Patrons

• Items

• Mrs. White
• Home Library is Branch 1
• Miss Scarlett
• Home Library is Branch 2
• Col. Mustard
• Home Library is Branch 3
• Professor Plum
• Home Library is Branch 7

• Z
• Copy 1, Branch 1, available
• Copy 2, Branch 4, ckd out, (age prot.)
• Copy 3, Branch 2, ckd out
• X
• Copy 1, Branch 3, ckd out
• Copy 2, Branch 3, available
• Copy 3, Branch 6, ckd out
• Copy 4, Branch 2, ckd out

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Standard Targeting, Item Z

• Miss Scarlett placed her hold on Monday
• Professor Plum placed his hold on Tuesday
• Evergreen targets book Z, copy 1 at Branch 1 for
  a hold and it will print on their holds pull list
• When pulled and scanned it will be captured for
  Miss Scarlett and put in transit to Branch 2 for
  her to pick up.
• Professor Plum has to wait for copy 3 (or copy 1)
  to be returned in order to fill his hold or for
  Copy 2s age-protection to expire.

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• I placed my hold first, I will get Copy1 once the
  library there pulls and captures it.
• The Professor will get Copy3 or Copy1 whichever
  is returned first or Copy2 if its age
  protection expires before the other copies are
  returned.

I get Copy1.
I have to wait.
Copy1 available
Copy3 checked out
Copy2 (age protect.)
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FIFO, Item X

• Mrs. White placed her hold 1st
• Professor Plum placed his hold 2nd
• Miss Scarlett placed her hold 3rd
• Col. Mustard placed his hold 4th
• Copy2 is available at Branch 3
• Copy1 gets returned next and goes to Plum
• Copy3 gets returned next and goes to Scarlett
• Copy4 gets returned last and goes to Mustard

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• I placed my hold first, I will get Copy2, the
  Professor gets the next available copy, Scarlett
  gets the next one and Mustard is next. Wow,
  these books sure travel!

I will get Copy3
I get Copy2!
I will get Copy4
I will get Copy1
Copy4 (gets returned last)
Copy2 available
Copy1 (gets returned 1st)
Copy3 (gets returned 2nd)
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FIFO nutshelled
Ive been targeted for a hold. I shall fulfill
my destiny for the person first in line!
Im age-protected. Im not holdable outside my
home library yet.
Im opportunistic Ill fill a hold anywhere
regardless of distance!
Ill fill the next hold in line, I love to travel!
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Opportunistic with Stalling Enabled

• Miss Scarlett placed her hold on Monday
• Professor Plum placed his hold on Tuesday
• Evergreen targets Z, copy 1 at Branch 1 for a
  hold and it will print on their holds pull list
• Before Branch 1 runs their pull list, Copy 3 is
  returned to Branch 2. It is opportunistically
  captured for Miss Scarlett because that is her
  pickup library. When Branch 1 runs their pull
  list, Copy 1 will now be captured for Professor
  Plum
• The copy doesnt have to belong to the branch it
  is returned to in order to be picked up for
  opportunistic hold. The library just has to be
  the pick up library of an eligible hold.

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• I get Copy3 because it was returned to my pickup
  library (which also happens to be its home
  library) before Branch 1 captured items off their
  pull list.
• Now the Professor gets Copy1 when the library
  scans their pulled items.
• But if the other patron had returned Copy3 to
  Branch 7 it would have been opportunistically
  captured for the Professor regardless if I had
  gotten Copy1 yet or not.

I get Copy3, how opportune!
I get Copy1, hooray!
Copy1 available
Copy3 checked out
Copy2 (age protect.)
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Standard Configuration nutshelled
Im age-protected. Im not holdable outside my
home library yet.
Ive been targeted for a hold. I shall fulfill
my destiny!
Ill fill the closest hold available (by org
unit, that is)
Im opportunistic and stalled Ill fill a hold
at the pickup library!
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Hold Boundaries, Item X

• Mrs. White placed her hold on Monday
• Col. Mustard placed his hold on Tuesday
• Professor Plum placed his hold on Wednesday
• Mrs. White would be first in queue to receive
  book X, Copy 4 as soon as it is returned
• If copy 4 didnt exist, she wouldnt be able to
  place a hold
• Col. Mustards hold would be targeted to Copy 2
  (or could get Copy 1 through op capture)
• Professor Plum is only eligible for Copy 3

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• I will get Copy4, in fact, its the only copy I
  can get because the system wont look at
  branches in System B due to the hard boundary.
  If there were no copies in my System, my hold
  request would be rejected.
• The Colonel will have his hold targeted to Copy2
  but he could get Copy1 if it was returned before
  Branch3 pulled their holds.
• The Professor will get Copy3 and since there is a
  potential item in the soft boundary around
  Branches 5, 6 7, the System will not walk any
  further up the org tree to look for other copies.
  If Copy3 didnt exist, the System would go up to
  System B and look down through Branches 3 4 for
  copies.

Copy4 checked out
Copy2 available
Copy1 checked out
Hard Boundaries
Copy3 checked out
Soft Boundaries
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Boundary Configuration nutshelled
Ive been targeted for a hold. I shall fulfill
my destiny! (So long as I dont cross a hard
boundary)
Ill fill the closest hold available (by org
unit, that is and so long as I dont cross a
hard boundary)
Im opportunistic Ill fill a hold anywhere
(depending on stalling and within my soft
boundary, natch!)
Im age-protected. Im not holdable outside my
home library yet.
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Quick Guide

• Standard configuration of targeting/opportunistic
  capture
• Geographically large consortia geographically
  smaller consortia with high hold volume
• Hold Boundaries
• Geographically dispersed consortia consortia
  with less system sharing
• FIFO
• essentially ignores opportunistic capture and
  relies on hold placement order regardless of
  proximity
• Needs to be set at the same depth as hard
  boundary (if using) and dont use stalling
• Hold fill order will be affected by new and
  found copies
• Weighting
• only useful with stalling because youre
  influencing targeting with weighting, not
  opportunistic capture
• Looping (Maximum library target attempts)
• Loop One Evergreen cycle of targeting a copy at
  every branch without success.
• Max loops Configurable number of attempts to try
  before cancelling the hold

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The Future ?

• Group Priorities
• Less Priority Prison Library Patrons
• More Priority Faculty
• Best Hold Sorting
• Replacing FIFO on/off setting
• Adding More Configurations
• Improvements to the Hold Matrix
• ???