As libraries evolve in the digital age, it’s important to meet the growing demands of patrons. One significant challenge many librarians face is managing holds effectively. With digital borrows soaring over 20% in 2023, it may be time to rethink your approach to this issue. Traditional buying practices might not suffice anymore. The Holds Monster is lurking—and ready to devour resources and strain your budget.

Understanding the Holds Challenge

Managing holds can feel like a juggling act. Libraries want to provide access to popular titles, but the overwhelming number of holds can lead to inflated statistics and frustration among patrons. It’s essential to ask: Are all those holds translating into actual borrows? And are they making the patron experience a better one?

With some digital providers, patrons can place holds on multiple titles. If they’re not ready to borrow when it’s their turn, they simply get pushed back in line, keeping that hold in place longer. This system leads to inflated hold numbers and potential duplicates, complicating title license management and creating an inaccurate picture of demand. In this scenario, differentiating between genuine interest and idle requests  
becomes paramount. 

This is where Hoopla’s Holds Relief steps in as a game-changer.

What is Hoopla’s Holds Relief

Hoopla’s holds relief is a real-time solution designed to optimize your holds ratio and maximize budget efficiency. Holds Relief lets libraries say goodbye to wasted resources and hello to streamlined holds management. Here’s how Hoopla can help transform your approach to holds:

  1. A single title is offered both in Instant and Flex  
  2. Your library purchases a single license: one copy/one user  
  3. Holds relief is enabled for Hoopla  
  4. Hoopla utilizes the Instant license to fill patron demand when holds exceed the library holds ratio
  5. Appears as a Flex borrow for those served by Instant  
  6. Minimizes patron wait time  
  7. Ensures your library doesn’t purchase more OCOU and Metered licenses than needed to meet patron demand

Holds Relief Offers You Relief, Too

Implement Hoopla’s innovative solution for managing holds and watch as it transforms your holds management strategy, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: serving your patrons.