Automatic Request Processing problem

["Brian Cameron" <Bcameron@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

I realized that I did not thank the people who replied to my last question, which was also my first.  So, thank you. I have another question, and I apologize for the length of the message. 
We have a Holds problem that has plagued us since we began using Automatic Request Processing, and I don't recall seeing any discussion about it.

After we set up Automatic Request Processing (before I started working here), we discovered that restricted items were preventing holds from working properly.  In other words, holds were being rejected when the only copy "available" were ones that cannot have holds placed on them.  For example, if we have a book in the circulating collection that is on loan, and an additional copy in our Reserve (short term loan) collection, a hold cannot be placed on the charged out copy because the system tells us that a "copy is available".  The same is true in the case of a multi-volume set, or when two items of differing format are attached to the same bib record (for example, a book and a companion CD-ROM).

Our Request Rule file excludes reserve items, and so III told us that the problem had to do with our request settings on our system.  We were using "denyifavail", but III informed us that since a rule in the request rule file blocks requests on available items, holds would be blocked (this occurs even though our request rule file is supposed to exclude certain itypes).  It seems to me that the request rule file does not function the way it should.

In a later call, we were finally told that this problem should be fixed when we upgrade either to Update D+ or Release 2001.  Neither upgrade has fixed the problem.

We switched to item level holds, but that causes several problems as follows: patrons have to guess which copy might be returned first; patrons can, and do, place holds on multiple copies; holds automatically trigger a recall, even if not overdue (one can edit the loan rules to prevent recalls on all held item except overdues, but, by doing so, our cicr staff cannot invoke a system-generated recall unless the item is overdue).

I am sorry of this sounds a bit convoluted.  I am wondering if others are dealing with this problem.  If I can clarify anything, please ask.

Thanks,

Brian Cameron
bcameron@xxxxxxxxxx 
416.;979.5000 x6886