How do I place holds online?

How to Place a Hold

1. From the Harris County Public Library Homepage [1] click Online Catalog [2].
2. In the catalog, search for the item(s) in which you are interested.  To do a basic search, enter your term(s) and click the Go button.
3. At the results screen (you will see the copies available on this screen), click the item in which you are interested to go to the item record. 
4. In the item record, click the Request Item button to place a hold.
5. Enter your library card number and PIN and click Login.
6. At the Request Confirmation screen, select your Pickup Location from the pull-down menu (click the arrow to the right and scroll through the menu to find your preferred branch) and click Request.
7. You will get confirmation that your request has been placed.
8. Click Return to Searching to look up more items.

How to Manage Holds

1. To view items you have on hold, click My Account [3].
2. Enter your library card number and PIN and click Login.
3. Click Hold Requests.
4. You will now see your hold(s), the queue position (where you are in the wait list) and the status.
5. Click the check box(es) and click Cancel Request if you no longer want the item(s).
6. Click the check box(es) and click Change Status if you wish to suspend your hold.

To place holds you will need

- Your Library Card Number - The 14 digit number on your Library Card which begins with 24028.

- Your PIN (Personal Identification Number) – This is the four-digit number you selected when you received your library card.  If you did not request a PIN number, a Request for PIN form may be obtained from the circulation desk at your local Harris County Branch Library during regular hours.**

- Computer Access – You can access the system at any Harris County Branch Library or from your own computer with Internet access by going to http://www.hcpl.net [1]. Currently there is a limit of 15 holds per library card.

**For the protection of your confidential information, the library must require that each customer who receives a PIN provide acceptable identification. If you forget your PIN you may request it in person at the circulation desk or by calling your local branch and providing acceptable identification.  You can also obtain your PIN by email [4].