You can place holds at the Hamilton library again, and your old holds might be waiting for you

Did you have books on hold at the Hamilton library before the cyberattack? They might be coming in now and the library would appreciate it if you checked.

As of last week, Hamiltonians can make new holds and access old ones for the first time since the ransomware attack on the City of Hamilton in February. The public library was just one of many systems disrupted by hackers.

Starting July 17, the library said in a news release last week, Hamiltonians can visit a branch, use the online contact form or phone 289-779-7588 to place new holds or review existing ones.

"We anticipate a higher volume of member service telephone calls, chats and emails, so we thank you in advance for your patience," the library said.

Since that update, users have placed over 2,700 new holds, library spokesperson Nick Kondrat told CBC Hamilton on Monday. 

"This number is climbing daily," he said.

Users can suspend holds for a set number of days so that they don't all come in at once. 

"We ask that members assume that any holds they previously had are active and encourage them to suspend or cancel them by calling, emailing or visiting us at their nearest branch."

Other public services, including the Hamilton Street Railway, are also restoring operations bit by bit.