> I know that the possible values for hold_type parameter are T, C (or R or > F), I, V or M (Title, Copy, Issuance, Volume or Meta-record respectively). I > have also successfully implemented this method. But I need exact logic > behind determining Hold Type for searched item.
Hi Bala, The logic is human determined. In most cases, staff and patrons go for Title holds, because that offers up a wider pool of items associated with the bib record that could potentially fulfill the hold. But sometimes the bib record is home to things that aren't identical, and so you want to place a hold on a subset of the items associated with the record. For example, if the bib record is for an Encyclopedia, and catalogers have encoded each volume of that encyclopedia with a different call number, but all on the same record, then you would need to place a specific Volume hold to get a particular volume. For serials (magazines, periodicals), the items might not be encoded as items at all, but as issuances, and thus you'll need to place an Issuance hold. A Copy hold would grab you an item with a specific known barcode. Staff might want to do this for various reasons; perhaps they want to repair or discard the book, or add a security device or new labeling. Meta-record holds are like Title holds that work across several bib records at the same time. There's a "fingerprint" that groups like records together. So maybe a patron wants a copy of Harry Potter, but doesn't care if it's paperback, hardback, or large print. A meta-record hold can accomplish that. I hope this helps. -- Jason -- Jason Etheridge | Equinox Software, Inc. / The Open Source Experts | phone: 1-877-OPEN-ILS (673-6457) | email: [email protected] | web: http://www.esilibrary.com | Supporting Koha and Evergreen: http://koha-community.org & http://evergreen-ils.org
