Due to the volume of purchase suggestions received we are unable to send responses regarding your request. When a title has been ordered it will appear in the catalog and you may place a hold using your library card number and PIN. Information on obtaining a library card can be found here. Please read the guidelines below before submitting your request. 

Requests for titles in digital format will not be accepted until after the release date.    

  • Titles in digital formats (eBook & eAudio) are not typically added to the collection until the day of release or shortly thereafter. Once an order for digital items is placed those titles are usually available for checkout/placing holds within a few hours. 

  • Not all titles are made available for purchase by publishers in eBook &/or eAudio format through our vendor for digital titles (Overdrive). Some of the most commonly unavailable titles in digital format are those enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, those published by Amazon’s publishing imprints (eBook) and Brilliance/Audible for eAudio.    

  • Not all titles are made available for purchase on the same date as the physical format. 

  • Sometimes eBook and eAudio formats are released on different dates.  

  • We monitor for holds on digital formats (eBook & eAudio) on a regular basis, adding copies to meet demand within the allowances of our budget. 

To see the most current listings of titles added in digital formats, please check out HCPL’s Overdrive collection.     

Requests for titles in physical (book/audiobook/DVD) format will not be accepted more than 30 days prior to the release date.  

Our Collection Development team works from lists of popular, well-reviewed and bestselling titles provided by our contracted vendors. We often already have these titles on lists to be ordered through our contracted vendors, but they may not yet appear in our catalog.  

  • Please check our catalog before submitting your purchase suggestion as it may already be on order and available for placing holds.  

  • Please allow up to three months for your recommended title to become available in the catalog. 

  • We do not typically order physical items more than 90 days in advance of release date.  

  • If your title has a publication or street date older than a year, it may be difficult for us to acquire copies for the library. For these titles and also for very specialized and/or out-of-print titles, we recommend submitting an Interlibrary Loan request.  

  • Unfortunately, Harris County Public Library is unable to purchase every item suggested by our customers. Reasons for not being able to purchase materials include price, age, low print runs or not meeting HCPL’s Collection Policy 

Other helpful information:   

  • This short video demonstrates how to place a hold in our catalog. For additional help with placing holds, please contact staff at your local branch. 

 

(if available, publisher, ISBN number, edition, date, series, where you heard about this material, etc.)