I make a lot of holds at the library. I would like to know when to expect to have them in my greedy little (borrower) hands. Using Vancouver Public Library, which uses Bibliocommons, as an example:
Information I have:
how many copies of an item are available
which position in line I am in
That's it. The library has the following information:
if the item is processed and available for borrowing, they know when the items are due back
if they run analytics, they know the average length of time that...
all materials are held for
specific materials are held for
if the item is not processed (it is new to them, or on order), they probably don't have a good sense of when the item will be made available
processing takes time: the book has to be catalogued and prepared for use
With items that are processed and ready, I'd like to know the range of dates I can expect to have an item available.
Example:
there are 2 copies of an item available, but they are being borrowed
let's say I'm 10th in line
what would be the math of determining which day I can expect to have it?
the average length of time either one of the materials is out can be added, which is updated as the material is returned
the position in the queue