Q. What does FREEZE mean? How do I freeze my holds?

Frozen Holds

Freezing a hold means that your position in the hold queue is skipped over until the hold is unfrozen. Freezing a hold allows you to time the arrival of some of your holds to a more convenient time for you.

For example, if you are going out of town and want to make sure the item you've been waiting for doesn't come in while you're away, freeze the hold. If your hold is "in transit" or "ready for pick up" it cannot be frozen. Holds must be frozen prior to the item being "in transit" or "ready for pickup."

Holds can be frozen for up to 255 days (approximately 8 1/2 months). After that period, library staff manually cancel any holds that have been frozen for the full duration of 255 days or longer. 

You can freeze a hold by logging into your account through the library catalog, through the Sarasota County Libraries mobile app, call 941-861-1110, text 941-413-2044, or email/chat with us through AskUs.

How to Freeze a Hold in the Library Catalog (Enhanced Catalog)

1. Visit the library's catalog. Click on Log In in the upper right corner. 
   
2. Enter the barcode number that is located on the back of your library card followed by your PIN.   
   
3. After logging in, either click on your name in the upper right corner of your screen and click on your name underneath the person icon or click on My Bookshelf in the bottom left-hand corner to proceed.
   
   
4. You will be redirected to My Bookshelf. Select Holds, which is the second tab. 
   
5. To freeze a hold, click on the down arrow and select Freeze.
   
6. 6. After selecting Freeze, it will confirm that your hold was Frozen successfully.

How to Freeze a Hold in the Sarasota County Libraries Mobile App

1. Open the app by clicking on the "Find Yourself at the Library" icon.
   
2. Select My Library Account. 
   
3. Click on My Holds.
   
4. Select the item that you would like to suspend and then click the Manage button. Next, select Suspend Item(s).
   
5. The Start date will default to the current date. Keep the current date but update the end date to the date that you would like to unfreeze the hold. Click Done.
   
6. In the mobile app, a message will pop up letting you know that it was a Success and that Items updated successfully.
   

How to Unfreeze a hold in the Library Catalog

1. Visit the library's catalog. Click on Log In in the upper right corner. 
2. Enter the barcode number that is located on the back of your library card followed by your PIN.   
3. After logging in, click on your name in the upper right corner and click on your name underneath the person icon to re-direct you to My Bookshelf. Select Holds, which is the second tab.
   
4. To unfreeze a hold, click on the down arrow and select Unfreeze.
   

How to Unfreeze a hold in the Sarasota County Libraries Mobile App

1. Open the app by clicking on the "Find Yourself at the Library" icon.
2. Select My Library Account. 
3. Click on My Holds
4. Select the item that you would like to unsuspend and then click the Manage button. Next, select Unsuspend Item(s) to unfreeze your hold.

How to (Un)Freeze a Hold in the Library Catalog (Basic Catalog)

1. Go to the Basic catalog and log in.
2. From the My Account tab, select Holds/Requests.
   
3. Click the checkbox next to the hold you would like to (un)freeze, then select Suspend/Reactivate Selected.
   
4. On the next page, enter the date you would like the hold to reactivate (m/d/yyyy format). If you are suspending/freezing the hold, enter a date in the future; if you are reactivating/unfreezing the hold, enter today's date. Click Submit when finished.
   
5. If successful, you will receive a confirmation of the new activation date.
   
6. You can confirm that a hold is frozen by its status in the Holds/Requests page.