Seattlest: Seattle Public Library Keeps You in Suspense!

Ashley See

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:13:17 -0800

I definitely didn't know you could suspend a hold at SPL. Good tip, as that would have been mighty useful when three seasons of the same TV show came up within two weeks of each other. ...even the most avid Desperate Housewives fan cannot be THAT avid.

Toby

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:30:12 -0800

Hi, It would be great to have a queue that is as easy to manipulate as Netflix. Unfortunately we're stuck using a third party vendor software (from SirsiDynix) that we have limited ability to modify. We have had this suspend/inactive hold option for awhile now. As for the chat experience, I'm sorry that chatting with a librarian in Pennsylvania wasn't helpful in this situation, but that's the trade off for being able to provide live customer help 24/7. We at SPL do cover the chat service M-F 10-6 and Sundays 10-12, so during those times you're likely to get one of us. We do try to make it understood on the chat form that you might end up with someone outside of SPL helping you (which turns out to be fine for homework help questions, finding general library information, searching for books, movies, etc.). "Librarians from around the country are available 24/7 to help you find information on any subject." And finally, just putting a plug in for the new Popular Searches link currently only found in the Search tab of the catalog. From reading your blog, I'm sure that you're a regular library user... hopefully you'll keep coming back! And we're always looking for feedback on things, so keep contacting us to let us know what works and what doesn't. Cheers! Toby@SPL

MvB

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:17:18 -0800

Nope, you are correct! That's what I meant by the "not realizing" part. For the benefit on new users, it doesn't at all *look* like a Netflix queue, but it does give you more control over when things show up. Kinda wish the library had emailed me about that to explain the functionality--I do place 40+ holds per year.

ChrisB

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:14:00 -0800

Yeah, I've been using this service for years now. I mean, this is why you'll find that you're 15 in a queue with 4 active holds in front of you.

ozmafan

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:09:27 -0800

i've been using the library as netflix for at least three years now and i'm almost certain you've been able to suspend your holds all this time...i could be wrong, though.