Holdings groups: Custom holdings groups

Use this screen to configure custom holdings groups that contain the OCLC symbols of preferred lenders for a particular category of borrowing activities.

Use the Holdings groups screen to configure custom holdings groups that contain the OCLC symbols of preferred lenders for a particular category of borrowing activities. Use Custom Holdings Groups to:

 Note:  The OCLC symbols contained in a Custom Holding Group are randomized with each request to ensure a variety of lenders are selected.

To find libraries to add to your custom holdings group, review your borrowing history in OCLC Usage Statistics. Or search the OCLC Policies Directory for close libraries or libraries in your consortium.

Configure Custom Holdings Groups

To create a custom holdings group:

  1. Navigate to WorldShare ILL > Holdings groups > Custom holdings groups tab in the Service Configuration.
  2. Click Create custom holdings group.
  3. Enter the Custom holdings group Name, and, optionally, a Description.
  4. Click Add/Edit symbol(s).
  5. In the Add/Edit OCLC symbols window, add the symbols in the box provided. Separate multiple symbols with a space.
    • If you need to look up OCLC symbols, click the link to access the OCLC Policies Directory.
    • To delete a symbol, check the box to the left of the symbol and select Clear selected symbols at the bottom of the list.
  6. Click Save. You will return to the Custom holdings group screen.
  7. Click Save.

     Note: Saving a Custom Holdings Group with no OCLC symbols will result in an error. Be sure to add at least one OCLC symbol before saving your new Custom Holdings Group.

To add an institution to an existing custom holdings group (on the Display by group name view of the list):

  1. From the Custom holdings groups list, click the pencil icon in the row of the group that you want to edit. 
  2. Enter the Custom Holdings Groups Name, and optionally, a Description.
  3. Click Add/Edit symbol(s).
  4. In the Add/Edit OCLC symbols window, add the symbol(s) in the box provided. Separate multiple symbols with a space.
    • If you need to look up OCLC symbols, click the link to access the OCLC Policies Directory.
    • To delete a symbol, check the box to the left of the symbol and select Clear selected symbols at the bottom of the list.
  5. Click Save. You will return to the Custom holdings group screen.
  6. Click Save.

To delete an institution from a custom holdings group (on the Display by group name view of the list):

  1. From the Custom holdings groups list, click the pencil icon in the Actions column of the row of the group that you want to edit. 
  2. You have two options:
    1. Select the check box next to the symbol you want to delete and click Clear selected symbols, or
    2. Click the Remove button (Delete button) next to the symbol you want to delete.
  3. Click Save.

To add or remove an institution to a custom holding group (on the Display by search by symbol screen):

  1. Enter the institution's symbol in the Enter symbol field. 
  2. Click Search.
  3. A list of all of your custom holdings groups appears, along with an indication of whether or not that symbol is contained in each group that is listed. Groups that the symbol appears in will have a checked box, groups that it does not appear in will remain unchecked.
    • Note: If an invalid symbol is entered, an Invalid symbol error message will display.
  4. Check the group to add a symbol to the group, or uncheck the group to remove a symbol from the group.
  5. Click Save.

To delete a custom holdings group:

  1. From the Custom holdings groups list, click trash can icon (delete button) in the Actions column of the row of the group to be deleted.
  2. On the confirmation window, click Delete.

 Note: The Custom Holdings Group must be removed from any Custom Holdings Path before it can be deleted. 

Watch a video

Custom Holdings for interlibrary loan

Run time: 13:14

Learn how to create and edit custom holdings groups and custom holdings paths then apply them to your interlibrary loan requests. Custom holdings are the group(s) of your preferred lending libraries that you can apply to your ILL requests for the system to automatically add then to the lender string on your ILL requests, thus saving you time when processing those requests.

 

Custom holdings groups fields

Note: Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

Field Description
Name

The name of the custom holdings group.

  • 20-character limit, with no special characters or spaces
Description

A brief description of the group.

  • 140-character limit.


Example: Institutions that charge for book loans.
Libraries included in group

The OCLC symbols for institutions that are part of the custom holdings group.

Examples:
AAU
ABI
ACN