Dear R&R—I sent a book with PBS-DC, and it was delivered! I got my Quick Credit, but why isn’t the requestor marking the book received? Help! –Left in the Lurch in MT

Dear Lurch: Don’t fret! The requestor may be on vacation (a lot of people take vacations at this time of year), and may not have gotten home to mark your book received yet. Also, sometimes USPS scans a book as”“delivered” when it has made it to the local PO, a day or two before the book is actually delivered to the requestor’s mailbox. If your book is declared Lost in the Mail, the requestor can still mark it received from the Lost in Mail list accessible from the right-hand menu of the account page. If the book isn’t marked received by two weeks after the delivery date, let us know. In the meantime, use your Quick Credit to request another book. Time passes quickly when you’re reading!

Dear R&R—I keep getting these emails asking me if I have received a book, but I am away from home! How do I know if the book has arrived? Will I be in trouble if I don’t mark the book received before I get home? –On the Road in CO

Dear OTR: You got Lurch’s book, didn’t you? Don’t worry too much about those email reminders—if you return from your vacation, and mark the book received then (if it has arrived), all will be well! The computer knows when your bookshelf is “on vacation” but still sends these emails anyway. The Vacation/Hold feature does not prevent notifications about ongoing transactions (books requested by or from you before you enacted the Hold), so you will continue to get these kinds of emails from PBS. Just put it on your To Do list for after you get home, and enjoy your vacation! If the book has been declared lost in the mail before you return, just mark it received from your “lost in mail” list, accessible from the right-hand menu of your account page. You can read more about the Vacation/Hold feature in the Help Center then if you like, in the Help Center item “Can I put my bookshelf on hold/vacation?” (in the Quick Help box on the right-hand side of the Help Center page). Do that when you get back—for now, apply more sunscreen, and relax with a good book.

Dear R&R—I put my bookshelf on vacation because I won’t be able to get to the Post Office for a week or two. I posted books to be ready for when I come back, but they are being requested! Is the Hold working? –Panicked in PA

Dear Pip: First, check to make sure that the Hold was applied properly. If there is a pink message on your account page (in the box for the Message from the Librarian), then the Hold is in place and working. But the Vacation/Hold feature won’t hide newly posted books from the membership. When you placed your bookshelf on hold, only the books that were on it at the time were earmarked to be “hidden”. If you post any new items with your bookshelf on hold, they will be visible to the membership! Make sure that you post only books that you are prepared to send out when they are requested. If you want to “get a jump on things” in the meantime, you can put the books you want to post on your TBR (To Be Read) List, accessible from the dropdown menu under “Book Lists” on the right of your account page, and easily post them later (when you are ready to accept requests for them) from there, with one click!