Place a Hold on Materials

All Chicago Public Library cardholders can place a hold (reserve) on any available item within the Chicago Public Library system. Holds will be delivered to the pickup location selected when the hold was placed. Patrons may visit any library location for assistance in placing or canceling holds.

Books are placed on a holds shelf in a public area of each library. CDs and DVDs are held at the checkout desk.

To Place a Hold Using the Catalog

• Find the item in the online catalog
• Click the blue “Place on Hold” button* to the right
• You will be prompted to log in to your My CPL account
• Select the library where you would like your hold item sent
• Email notification will be sent when the item is available for pickup (if an email address is included in a My CPL account) or by phone or by U.S. mail.

*In the Kids’ Catalog, the hold button is named “Click here to Order it” and is located to the left.

If you would like to place a hold on an individual volume, edition or year, please call or visit any library location.

Each cardholder can have up to three holds pending at any one time. This does not include hold requests that are in transit or ready for pickup. All hold transactions will be counted as part of the 30-transaction limit allowed on your library account.

To Cancel a Hold Online

• Log in to your My CPL account.
• Click on “Holds”
• Find the hold you want to cancel
  • If the hold status reads “Request pending,” you may click the “Remove” button to cancel your hold.
  • If the hold status is “Intransit-sent” or “Ready for pickup,” you must contact the pickup location to finish canceling the hold.