The Ross Pendergraft Library has enabled a new service designed to help students, faculty, and staff to reserve our items from the comfort of their cozy pants and couch.

As you search our vast database of books, videos, sound recordings, and skeletons, you may notice a new button popping as you click on the titles of our physical items in the library:

The “Place Hold” button allows our users to reserve physical copies in our various collections at the Research Help Desk of the Ross Pendergraft Library or the Circulation Desk of the Ozark Campus Library.  The books or items will be retrieved from the shelves and set aside for your convenience—all at the push of a button.

Once you find a title in our Find It database, click the hyperlinked title:

This will reveal access options to the right.  Click the PLACE HOLD button to initiate the Hold Request.

You will be prompted to login using your ATU username and password.  After you sign in, select a copy (if, for example, you need a specific volume of a multi-volume set).

Do you want to pick it up at the Ross Pendergraft Library?  If you are a Russellville campus student, that option is selected by default.  But if you are reading from the Ozark campus, you can always choose to have it delivered there by selecting Ozark Campus as the Pick-Up location.

Finally, set any specific time-needed dates and add notes if you want.  Click SUBMIT when you are ready.  You can view your requests (and check-outs, fines, and more) at any time by click “My Account”, located at the top right menu:

The Requests menu will list the item(s) you requested and the status of each request.

After submitting the request, a librarian will retrieve the item from the shelves, and you will receive an email letting you know to pick it up at the designated pick-up location.  If you wanted to pick it up from the Russellville campus, that would be the first floor Research Help Desk.

Since the Hold Request for available items may take at least 24 hours to complete, if you are in the library and in a hurry, you can always retrieve and check-out the item yourself.  Ask for help if you are unsure where the item is located.

In the past, Hold Requests were usually only available when an item was borrowed by another user or “On Order.”   This option is still available, but this fall, we’ve expanded the option for most of our available items.

It is NOT available for our course reserves, short-term loan items, or laptops.   Those are still available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For most other items, however, it can be a great way to save time for commuter students, busy faculty and staff, or for making sure those popular items don’t get checked out before you have the chance to come to the library. Hold requests are very similar to our very popular Interlibrary Loan Service that allows you to borrow books, articles, and other materials we don’t own from another library.  For more on this service, check out our video or website.

Give the new service a try today by browsing our newest books or search for something specific: http://findit.atu.edu

Hold us closely in your socials through Instagram or Facebook, ask us more about this service through our Ask Us page.