The time it takes for a book to arrive at your branch for pickup depends on a variety of factors.
The average transit time for materials that are sitting on a library's shelf is 2-3 days (excluding weekend days), barring delays from holidays, inclement weather, or unforeseen circumstances.
If you requested an item that is On Shelf ("Available") at a Sarasota County library, it will most likely arrive at your selected branch in 2-3 days. If the item is On Shelf at one library and is to be delivered to a different library branch, the item will be obtained by staff to fulfill the hold on the following business morning.
If the item is checked in that day, it will be labeled In Transit to be put into delivery in the afternoon. Average transit time noted above applies afterward.
If the item is to be picked up the same library branch in which it is listed as On Shelf, it will be labeled Ready for Pickup when it is checked in and placed on the holds shelf. This will usually be within the next business day.
If you have placed a hold on an item that is Checked Out, the time it takes to get to you depends on when copies are returned and if other users have requested it before you. You may find out the number of copies in the collection and if other users are waiting for them through our online catalog.
The item is labeled In Transit - Unavailable as soon as it is returned and checked in at the library. The wait time for it to become Ready for Pickup will vary, but the average transit time from one library to another is approximately 2-3 regular business days.
If you requested an item that is On Order, that means that the item has been recently purchased by the library but has not yet arrived. In some cases, the item may not have been published yet, but if it is showing up in the catalog, holds requests can still be made.
For information about how to request items from other Florida libraries (interlibrary loan), please click here.