Reading Room Trainers ILL Questions Blog

Generally speaking, our rule of thumb for Scan & Deliver eligibility is that if you don’t see a link in HOLLIS, then the item is not requestable via S&D.

However, there are two important exceptions to this rule:

1. The item is on hold for the requesting patron at either the Widener Hold Shelf or the Phillips Reading Room
2. The item is an unbound issue of a journal or periodical in the Periodicals Reading Room

In either of these cases, the patron may make a Scan & Deliver request by submitting an ILL Borrowing article request, including a Note that the item in question is either on hold for them or located in the PerRR.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

– Tom

TN: 3689968

We have a conditional from a library that says: “We own this thesis in microfiche format. However, this dissertation may be purchased from ProQuest Information and Learning Company (formerly University Microfilms International).  Would you like us to send the fiche copy?”

How do we proceed?

Hi Tom,

The national library of Spain is asking that we use their online form (url below) and we need to sign in.  Do we have a password for this?

“Please, send ILL request through our Web Form: http://www.gtbib.net/usuario_acceso.php?centro=BNE&centro=BNE&pestanya=1&soy=biblioteca

Best regards,
Interlibrary Loan Service
Biblioteca Nacional de España”

Some requests like TN: 3684933 stay in the RTIS Borrowing queue even though the history says that it’s been shipped. Another (TN: 3687731) warned me that it was awaiting in the Conditional queue so I didn’t send it. Why is that?

• Claire, Sarah, and Tom discussed a problem with scan and deliver re-scans.  Tom will look into this when Claire or Sarah give him some TN #’s.
• Jessica worked through the stack of Lending error print outs from the Lending staff, and found that many students were 1) putting the call number instead of the barcode for HD items, and 2) filling in the call number for non-Widener or HD items and filling them (Lending).  Also, the error tracker options for recording these mistakes are a bit unclear.  Jason suggested we send out a general e-mail addressing these errors, speak to Will N. and Michael T. in person about them, and said he will fix the error tracker when Jessica suggests what changes to make.
• Jason will look into Judaica’s microfilm policies, regarding why they are ending up in the NMRR.
• NMRR refreshers are going well.  Jessica added a place for trainers to mark the completion of these trainings in the training matrix, and Jason cleaned up the training matrix/updated it.
• The alcoves of Judaica machines will be moved to the desks right in front of the RR desk, and those alcoves will be set up for people with disabilities.
• We discussed putting the call number and the barcode in for every item.  Tom suggested that we develop this over the summer to implement in the Fall.
• Q&A blog seems to be working well.  When Tom’s not in, they won’t get answered.  When he is in, he checks it twice a day.  If anything is super time-sensitive, be sure to find someone else who can resolve it.
• If Tom is present when answering a question, trainers are encouraged to put it on the blog anyway as a FYI.
• Jason discussed changes on shiftboard that lets him copy one week and paste it for the next.  This will make things easier, but requires that we check our schedules and enter any changes (he also discussed the need to make sure we make People Soft match shiftboard).
• Tom had a statistics update:  If the client freezes or crashes, the item stays in Request in Processing status.  If we see high numbers in that queue, it reflects a problem.  If we see this queue above 5 in either lending or borrowing, we should look through it and see if any items are hanging out in there for no reason.  These become anomalies in the data.
• Tom also told us that there are some interesting statistics showing that only 1% of lending items enter the Request in Processing status 4 times – which suggests many items are being processed quickly and with little mediation.
• Tom discussed a possible future macro to enter the barcode and call numbers automatically.
• We will incorporate into the training a request that if ILLiad crashes or re-starts while students are working in it, they should try to find it in Request in Processing.  If they cannot, they can move on (but it should be easy to find).
• Borrowing queues are larger this week, but we think that’s just because we are working first in Lending now.  Tom was not concerned about it.
• Christina will work the first half of the summer, and Katie will work the second half.  Sarah and Jessica will be back in the Fall.

TN: 3671513

LGG said we need to use McGill’s electronic form at http://www.uquebec.ca/colombo/form/ILL_Request.htm

Are we registered with Colombo library, and if so, what is our Canadian/Colombo Library Symbol?

It looks like this library is our second to last option.  Should I try the ala option (Canterbury library) first?

Hi Tom, I found this conditional, and am not sure what to do with it:

CRL: Own but BLLD neded CRL owns but cannot circulate without signed BLLD Copyright Declaration form.  Please send us a signed BLLD CD so we may circulate.

Do I say yes? Where do I send it?  Thank you!  TN 3684148

TN: 3662950

I was working in the NMRR and had a patron renew an ILL borrowing request online. The transaction (TN: 3634000) seemed to renew successfully but then disappeared from his ILL request history. Is this normal or something that we should follow up on?

Today, Jason forwarded me a question from a student: “If a book for a lending request says “Not in shelf – in transit” and the date 12/31/99, do I just cancel the request?” TN: 3683091

I know we’ve broached this with borrowing, but does the student simply RTIS or cancel in the case of a lending request?

DLC has asked to supply a patron name (they require patron names for certain collections).  Do we comply?