Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Behind the scenes at the library: Holds (or, I’m Looking For A Book and I Don’t See It On Your Shelf)

“Everyone’s talking about Michelle Obama’s book.”

“Bird Box is on Netflix, and I want to read the book before I watch it.”

“I’m so sad that Paul Simon is on his farewell tour. I listened to him on repeat all through high school, but I don’t have the albums anymore.”

Did you know that your library card gives you access to ALL THE THINGS in the Westchester Library System*?  

*with a few minor exceptions, like Museum Passes; you can only borrow those from your home library.

You, or your friendly neighborhood librarian, can reserve books, movies, audiobooks, and more. Libraries have limited budgets, and not every library owns every title. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, don’t despair.  If any library in Westchester Library System owns it, you can place a hold and have the item delivered to the library of your choice, whether that’s the one closest to home, or the one you can visit during your lunch hour.

 What is the Westchester Library System?

Westchester Library System (WLS) collaborates with 38 libraries in Westchester County to provide access to resources and services.  WLS primarily serves the public by:

• Maintaining the online catalog of library holdings, reference databases, and downloadable audio books.
• Cataloging of library materials you use for easier access through descriptive records by author, title, subject, as well as many key words–even in Spanish.
• Operating a delivery system that transports over 2 million items annually.

Of all library services, the holds system is simultaneously the greatest, most mysterious, cryptic, impenetrable, and unpredictable. The Westchester Library System is a consortium, made up of 38 independent libraries. Each library is responsible for selecting and purchasing its own materials, but through WLS, materials are made available to more than 940,000 residents in Westchester County. Here’s the catch: In NY, your library card is issued in the municipality where you live and pay taxes, since those taxes provide the funding for the public library.

The Greenburgh Library serves residents of unincorporated Greenburgh, while each of the seven villages has its own library (except for Elmsford, which has a contract with Ardsley for library services). This is relevant because cardholders get priority access to those materials owned by their home library.

This is the impenetrable part. If you log in to your library card account, you can see your position in the queue. As time passes, you’ll move steadily towards the front of the line.  But sometimes, you might still be far down the list, and you’ll get that phone message: You have a hold available for pickup.  This is the unpredictable part. If it seems like you’ve jumped the line, it’s usually because an item owned by your home library has become available, and the people who were ahead of you have cards from other libraries that may not own that material. It’s a confusing system, but it’s fair. Cardholders benefit if their library has purchased materials. If not, they’ll need to wait for the next available copy.

It’s simple to place a hold, or any librarian can assist you:

• Every library’s website has a link to the Westchester Library System catalog, or you can go straight to easywls.org
• Log in with your library card number and PIN (typically the last 4 digits of your phone number)
• Search for the title you want
• Click or tap “ PLACE HOLD” and select your pickup library

Once the hold is placed, WLS works their magic and provides a list to each library. Twice a day, library clerks embark on a scavenger hunt, collecting materials to fulfill patrons’ requests. The items are either tagged for pickup at Greenburgh, or routed to the library designated by the patron. A courier transports materials around the county. This includes holds, as well as returning materials to their home libraries (since patrons are allowed to return most items to any Westchester library).

When we receive these bins, clerks sort the items, and check them in. When holds are received, the system prints a wrapper, and we shelve them alphabetically by the patron’s name.

At the end of the day, the system generates automated notifications to let patrons know their materials are available. Email notifications go out after 9:00 pm, while phone and text notifications are sent after 9:00 am the following morning. At Greenburgh Library, we hold materials for 10 days, but this varies at other locations.

Each library has a collection which represents the unique character of the community. The holds system gives you all the diversity of Westchester without having to travel around the county. If you’ve never used this library service, give it a try!

Coming soon in How the Library Works: Renewals (or, I’m Not Finished Yet!)