How to Cancel Koha

To cancel a hold in Koha and notify the patron, follow these steps:

Manual Hold Cancellation

1. Access the Hold: Navigate to the patron’s hold record. You can do this by searching for the patron or the item and accessing the hold from the circulation or patron details page.

2. Cancel the Hold: Click the red trash can icon to the right of the hold line to initiate the cancellation process.

3. Select a Cancellation Reason: If the "HOLD_CANCELLATION" authorized value category is configured, you will be prompted to select a reason for the cancellation. Choose the appropriate reason from the dropdown menu.

Configuring Cancellation Reasons

• Go to Administration > Authorized Values.
• Search for "HOLD_CANCELLATION" in the search box.
• If the category does not exist or you need to add more reasons, click "New authorized value for HOLD_CANCELLATION" and enter the new reason.

Sending a Cancellation Notice

To send an email notification to the patron when a hold is cancelled:

• Go to Tools > Notices & Slips.

• Click the "New notice" button and select "Holds" from the dropdown.

• Give the notice the code "HOLD_CANCELLATION".

• Customize the notice template as needed. For example:

  Dear [% borrower.firstname %] [% borrower.surname %],
  Your hold on [% biblio.title %] has been cancelled with the following reason: [% AuthorisedValues.GetByCode( ‘HOLD_CANCELLATION’, hold.cancellation_reason, ‘IS_OPAC’ ) %]
  Thank you,
  [% branch.branchname %] Staff

Automatic Hold Cancellation

For holds cancelled automatically by the system (e.g., due to expiration):

• Ensure the "cancel_expired_holds" cronjob is configured.
• If a reason is applied during automatic cancellation and the "HOLD_CANCELLATION" notice is set up, emails will be generated for the patrons.

Disabling Cancellation Reasons and Notices

If you do not wish to use cancellation reasons or send emails:

• Go to Administration > Authorized Values, delete all the default "HOLD_CANCELLATION" values, and then delete the "HOLD_CANCELLATION" category entirely.
• To disable the email notices, delete the "HOLD_CANCELLATION" notice from Tools > Notices & Slips.

By following these steps, you can ensure that holds are cancelled with clear reasons and that patrons are notified accordingly.