Hold shelf/slips

[Linda Wisneski]

Hi Folks,

I'm being asked to explore ways to improve patron privacy regarding holds on the hold shelf. How do you folks maintain patron privacy with your hold slips?

Thanks and stay warm!

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Linda Wisneski

Patron Experience Supervisor

970-586-8116 x816 
PO Box 1687 / 335 E. Elkhorn Avenue
Estes Park, CO 80517

[Garboczi, Beth]

Hi Linda,

We have a setting in our ILS so that our hold slips only print out a portion of the patron's name. It's like 3 or 4 letters of their last name and the first initial of their first name. 

Other than that we don't do anything specific.

Beth Garboczi (she/her)

Library Circulation Supervisor

Library & Cultural Services Department | City of Aurora

Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:15 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Phone: 303.739.6629

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From: cl...@googlegroups.com <cl...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Linda Wisneski <lwis...@estesvalleylibrary.org>
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Subject: Hold shelf/slips

 

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[Curt Williams]

Same, at Louisville.  We have a template set in our ILS (Sierra) so that just the first two letters of the last name and the first letter of the first name print.  The problem is always with individuals with two to four-letter last names.  You’ll wind up printing their full last name the more letters you display.  And, with printing fewer letters on your slips, you’ll have patrons who have the same combination of letters, so patrons need to make sure they’re getting the items they requested.

 

State Privacy law requires us to make printed materials with patron information to be as “non-identifiable" as possible to a specific person, and anything with full identifying information must be kept confidential and then destroyed after no longer needed.  So, paging/pull slips that have patron information must be shredded after we’re done using them.  Prospector transit slips must be given to the requesting patron to discard or shredded once the items are returned to us to ship back to the owning library.

 

ALD was exploring paperless hold shelves.  Cindy – has that happened?

 

Curt

 

Curt Darius Williams

Circulation Supervisor

Louisville Public Library | Cultural Services

303.335.4819 (Patron Services)

303.335-4823 (office)

cwil...@louisvilleco.gov

 

From: 'Garboczi, Beth' via CLCN Colorado Circulation Supervisors Network <cl...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2026 12:18 PM
To: cl...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Hold shelf/slips

 

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[Andy Hamilton]

Hi Linda,

We use a code system based on the last three digits of a patron's library card number, the first two letters of their last name, and the first two letters of their first name. So if John Doe's card ends in "123", the code would be "123DOJO". It's confusing to explain once, but then folks seem to get it and get used to it quickly. This is configured in Sierra as part of our account creation wizard process.

-Andy

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[Tim McClelland]

Hi Linda-

 

At Boulder PLD, we use holdslips with the first three letters of the patron’s last name and last four digits of their library card number. All our cards start with the same three digits, so we had to be creative.

 

 

Tim McClelland

Public Services Department Manager

 

Pronouns: he/him

O: 983-888-0554

mccle...@boulderlibrary.org

 

Boulder Public Library District

1001 Arapahoe Ave | Boulder, CO 80302

www.boulderlibrary.org

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[Kristin Farr]

Jeffco does something similar to Boulder, Louisville and Aurora- first 2 or 3 of last name, and first 3 of first name. (I can't remember exactly and I'm not onsite to check :-S) 

KRISTIN FARR

she/her

Patron Experience Coordinator  

Patron Experience: Design

303.235.5275 

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From: 'Tim McClelland' via CLCN Colorado Circulation Supervisors Network <cl...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2026 1:38 PM
To: cl...@googlegroups.com <cl...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] RE: Hold shelf/slips

 

Hi Linda- At Boulder PLD, we use holdslips with the first three letters of the patron’s last name and last four digits of their library card number. All our cards start with the same three digits, so we had to be creative. Tim McClelland Public

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[Linda Wisneski]

Curt,

Your system seems interesting to me. We use the last four of the last name; however, if you pull the item off the shelf, you then see the full patron name. You have to take it from the shelf or be intentional to look at the full slip. With your system, do you have duplicates? Meaning more than one Carol Smith, for instance? How is that differentiated, or is it?

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[Linda Wisneski]

Andy,

Your system, while confusing at first, actually seems pretty darn privacy-oriented! I wonder if Sirsi can do something similar....

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[Linda Wisneski]

Tim,

Thanks! That could work for us, I think. Seems simple enough as well.

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