Place a hold on a borrowed item / Request a recall

What if an item you would like to use has already been borrowed by someone else? You may place a "hold" on that item, so that when it is returned you will be notified, and you will have the opportunity to borrow it before anyone else does. You will be first in line for the item.

First, you need to login to our online catalog. Once you have identified yourself, you can view your own account history and personal information. You must login in order to place a hold request.

Complete your search, and look at the full bibliographic record for the item. In the upper right area, you see a link that says "All items". Click on that link.

This leads you to the holdings details for every copy of this work in our collection. It shows you that the book has already been borrowed by someone else (under the heading Due Date). Notice on the left side of the view table the word Request. Click on that word.

You see a rather complicated form asking you for lots of information. Actually, it is not necessary to fill in all of those fields. If the call number of the item and your name appear on the screen, that's all you really need. The dates have been filled in for you -- your hold will be operative for a period of two months. To place your hold, click on Go.

You will see a confirmation screen indicating that your hold has been placed. To verify this, you may want to go look at your own library account information. At the top of the screen, find the link that says My Library Record. Click on that link.

You will see the words Morton Library ADM (administration) - Library Card and your own name. This page displays your own loan history, any holds or booking requests you have placed, your current loans, fines and so on. Further down the page, it shows your address, phone number, email, etc. You may use this page to make sure the Library has correct information about you.

Find the little number next to the words Hold Requests . Click on that number.

You receive a list of all of the items on which you have placed a hold. When the item is returned, our Circulation department will contact you and you will be able to come in and borrow the item.

Request a recall

If you notice that the item you want has been borrowed and the due date is months away, you might wish to request a recall. Professors and PhD students are permitted to borrow items for 120 days. But after an item has been held by someone for at least three weeks (our normal borrowing period), that item may be recalled for another borrower.

If you wish to request a recall, this must be done through our Circulation Desk -- you are not able to do this yourself using our online catalog. Please consult our Circulation staff and they will tell you whether a recall is possible.