Hello, I'm trying to understand the new options that come with the new hold targeter, and I'm wondering how others are using it. Is anyone using the --soft-retarget-interval right now?
I'm considering using something along the lines of hold_targeter.pl --soft-retarget-interval="4 hours" --retarget-interval="8 days" running every hour. But I'm worried that this will cause all holds to be checked every hour after it has been 4 hours since the last retarget. Maybe a soft-retarget once a day is enough? What I'm trying to achieve is to avoid the targeting churn where if a hold isn't filled immediately, it bounces back and forth between the two most appropriate items every retarget interval. We have a bunch of locations that are only open a couple days a week, so every once in a while an item never shows up on their pull list because it is always bouncing between two target copies at locations that are only open on the day that the item doesn't get targeted. But I also want to make sure that if the current item is no longer available, the hold gets re-targeted in a reasonable amount of time. But maybe this isn't actually needed. Since staff marking an item missing, damaged, withdrawn, etc automatically resets holds targeted to that item, and retargets the hold. So what situations are left that would cause an item to no longer be available for a hold? Canceling a hold transit also seems to reset the hold, so that should be covered. How about staff editing item properties, and changing the status that way? How about checking out an item to another patron instead of capturing the item for a hold? If a customer grabs an item off the shelf that is also on the pull list? Or if a branch lets customers take items out of the transit tub up until it leaves the library? Is there anything that resets unfilled holds that target the same item during a checkout? -- Josh Stompro - IT Director Lake Agassiz Regional Library Desk: 218-233-3757 Ext 139 Cell: 218-790-2110
