Sample Workflows for OCLC Lending

During the process of outlining various workflows for OCLC requests in CARLI, the committee reviewed the possible impact of OCLC direct requests on lending practices. The committee was interested in how many requests were submitted directly by patrons via OCLC, when the materials were actually available at the local library or within the library's consortium (such as I-Share).
 
To gather information on the practices, questions about CARLI members’ use of OCLC direct requests for returnables and non-returnables were posted on the CARLI Resource Sharing Interest Group email list. The following are the reasons provided by CARLI members, both for and against direct requests.
 
Reasons for not allowing direct requests by patrons included:

• Direct requests were not necessary because the library receives very few requests. The staff has time to handle them.
• Because many requests for non-returnables need editing, staff involvement saves time in the long-run by not allowing unmediated requests.
• The library staff would rather choose the lending libraries because the staff knows which libraries have a quick turnaround time.
• The library saves a little processing time by using the local consortium as the primary source.
• Usually the material that the patron wants is available through the local consortium, so OCLC requesting isn't needed.
• Patrons are asked to try to get materials through the local consortium to keep costs down including return shipping.
• The library uses ILLIAD and RAPID for patron requesting.
• The staff evaluates the requests before proceeding with anything that incurs a charge.
• Sometimes the lender requests special return mailing service, which increases costs for some unmediated loans.
• The library wants to control costs as much as possible. If only LVIS libraries are selected or libraries that don't charge for photocopy charges, the timeframe will be considerably slower if the "free" libraries can't fill the request. Time will elapse before the library staff addresses the unfilled requests.
• The library does not request interlibrary loans of textbook items. Mediated or unmediated direct requests could result in a flood of textbook interlibrary loans.
• Patrons forget how the request was submitted (OCLC or local consortium), then ask the staff member for help in tracking the request.

Reasons for allowing direct requests by patrons included:

• The library receives many requests, and unmediated direct requesting speeds the process along.
• Using direct requesting allows staff time to be focused on the more difficult items/arcane requests to fill.
• Unmediated requests can be submitted at any time including when the library is closed. Because the requests are unmediated, other libraries might fill the requests before the home library has a chance to review them.
• Custom holding groups can be used to avoid submitting an unmediated request for material owned by the home library or accessible through the library's local consortium.
• A custom holdings path can be set up. As an example, the library uses custom holdings for unmediated requests that go to Illinois, non-I-Share libraries only, in order to use ILDS for delivery and save postage/mailing costs.

To ensure OCLC requests are processed correctly by the borrowing library (and not confused for regular I-Share transactions), the CARLI Resource Sharing Committee recommends all I-Share Libraries attach an OCLC Loan band to items when preparing them for OCLC loan to another I-Share Library.

Below are examples of lending library workflows for recording OCLC loans in an ILS. Libraries have developed their own workflows to make sure their materials show the appropriate status in their local circulation system. These example workflows may be used by libraries setting up or revising their own workflows.
 
The ‘right’ workflow is the one that works for your library. All of the workflows require the lending library to create patron accounts in their local circulation system in order to charge out items being lent. Some libraries use one or more generic “ILL” patron records, some create individual patron records for each borrowing library, while some libraries do a combination.

Click on the title of the sample workflow in this table of contents to be taken to the full description of that workflow, including the Overview, Steps, Pro, and Con discussion (below).

Single, Generic, Interlibrary Loan “Patron” Account
Monthly, Generic, Interlibrary-Loan Patron Records, January-December
Multiple Patron Records, One For Each Borrowing Library

Single, Generic, Interlibrary Loan “Patron” Account

Create a generic local “Interlibrary Loan” patron account; charge OCLC-lent items to that account.
                
Steps

1. Create a generic local “Interlibrary Loan” patron account in your local circulation system.
2. When an OCLC Lending Request for a monograph is received, confirm available holdings.
3. Charge item to the “Interlibrary Loan” patron account in the local circulation system in order to mark the item as unavailable, and to easily identify the charged item as being checked out to another library via OCLC ILL.
4. Process item in OCLC to fill the request. The shipping information is generated.
5. When the item is returned, finish processing the item in OCLC, then discharge the item in the local circulation system.

Pro

• Setup is quick; lending library staff only need to create one patron account, and the contact information is for the lending library.
• The “Interlibrary Loan” account allows library staff to view and manage all items checked out to OCLC libraries from one account.
• Any notices generated by the local circulation system are sent to the ILL department email address, which makes it easy to follow up on overdue items loaned via OCLC ILL.
• Library staff can print a list of items charged to the account to cross-check against charged items in OCLC ILL.
• The “Interlibrary Loan” patron account enables multi-campus universities with library collections at multiple campuses to request or lend  items from the other campus locations.

Con

• If the borrowing library does not notice the item fulfills an incoming OCLC request AND if the borrowing library is a member of the same shared ILS as the lending library, the borrowing library may accidentally discharge the incoming item. This removes the item it from the Interlibrary Loan patron account at the lending institution, and prompts the borrowing library to return the item without using it.
• Library staff may accidentally discharge an item in the local circulation system without properly finishing the OCLC ILL transaction.
  • For in-state items, this typically occurs if the item is returned via the ILDS delivery service and does not have the OCLC paperwork.
  • If the library is part of a consortium with a shared ILS, it is possible that the requesting library could discharge the item at their location. A discharged request is more difficult for the lending library to recognize without the OCLC paperwork.
• If the lending library limits the number of overdue, lost, or charged items that can be on one local patron account, then having only one “Interlibrary Loan” patron account could reach those limits.
  • It may be possible to configure your “Interlibrary Loan” patron account to have a different set of privileges in your local circulation system.
• Notices emailed by the local circulation system will not automatically be emailed to the borrowing library. Library staff will need to forward the messages/individually contact the OCLC borrower. Print notices will not contain the library’s mailing address.

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Monthly, Generic, Interlibrary-Loan Patron Records, January-December

Create twelve generic, local, monthly patron accounts (example: January-ILL, February-ILL, etc); charge OCLC-lent items to that account.
 
Steps

1. Create a generic local “Interlibrary Loan” patron account in your local circulation system for each month.
   • Examples:
     • Last name: ILL, First name: January
     • Last name: ILL, First name, February,
     • etc.
2. When an OCLC Lending Request for a monograph is received, confirm available holdings.
3. Charge item to the appropriate month’s “Interlibrary Loan” patron account in the local circulation system in order to mark the item as unavailable, and to easily identify the charged item as being checked out to another library via OCLC ILL.
4. Process item in OCLC to fill the request. The shipping information is generated.
5. When the item is returned, finish processing the item in OCLC, then discharge the item in the local circulation system.

Pro

• Setup is quick; lending library staff only need to create twelve patron accounts, and the contact information is for the lending library.
• The monthly “Interlibrary Loan” account allows library staff to view and manage all items checked out to OCLC libraries from those 12 accounts.
• The “monthly” nature of the Interlibrary Loan accounts makes it easy to follow up on charged items for renewals, overdues, and lost item charges.
• Any notices generated by the local circulation system can all be set to be sent to the ILL department email address, which makes it easy to follow up on overdue items loaned via OCLC ILL.
• Library staff can print a list of items charged to the account to cross-check against charged items in OCLC ILL.
• The monthly “Interlibrary Loan” patron account enables multi-campus universities with library collections at multiple campuses to request items from our other campus locations.

Con

• If the borrowing library does not notice the item fulfills an incoming OCLC request AND if the borrowing library is a member of the same shared ILS as the lending library, the borrowing library may accidentally discharge the incoming item. This removes the item it from the Interlibrary Loan monthly patron account at the lending institution, and prompts the borrowing library to return the item without using it.
• Library staff may accidentally discharge an item in the local circulation system without properly finishing the OCLC ILL transaction.
  • For in-state items, this typically occurs if the item is returned via the ILDS delivery service and does not have the OCLC paperwork.
  • If the library is part of a consortium with a shared ILS, it is possible that the requesting library could discharge the item at their location. A discharged request is more difficult for the lending library to recognize without the OCLC paperwork.
• If the lending library limits the number of overdue, lost, or charged items that can be on one local patron account, then high volume lenders could reach those limits with each monthly Interlibrary Loan patron account.
  • It may be possible to configure your “Interlibrary Loan” patron accounts to have a different set of privileges in your local circulation system.
• Notices emailed by the local circulation system will not automatically be emailed to the borrowing library. Library staff will need to forward the messages/individually contact the OCLC borrower. Print notices will not contain the library’s mailing address.

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Multiple Patron Records, One For Each Borrowing Library

Create a local patron record for each Requesting Library; charge OCLC-lent items to that account.
 
Steps

1. Create a local patron account in your local circulation system for each OCLC borrowing library, using the library information found in the OCLC request.
   • Follow consistent account creation processes for all libraries.
2. When an OCLC Lending Request for a monograph is received, confirm available holdings.
3. Charge item to the locally created patron record in the local circulation system in order to mark the item as unavailable, and to easily identify the charged item as being checked out to another library via OCLC ILL.
4. Process item in OCLC to fill the request. The shipping information is generated.
5. When the item is returned, finish processing the item in OCLC, then discharge the item in the local circulation system.

Pro

• This method would be good for libraries lending large volumes of material through OCLC.
• Since library staff will follow a consistent patron-creation process for all OCLC borrowing libraries (regardless of in state, out of state, same library system/shared ILS, or different), the workflow for creating the patron records, and then locating those existing records in your database will be easier for library staff.
• Multi-campus universities with library collections at multiple campuses can create a patron account for each location, to request or lend items from the other campus locations.
• Any notices emailed by the local circulation system are automatically generated and sent directly to the borrowing library by email (if email address is entered in the borrowing library’s local patron account). Print notices contain the library’s mailing address.
• The materials checked out to the specific borrowing library are recorded twice- once in OCLC and once in the local library system.

Con

• Work is needed to create the records initially.
• Work is needed to keep the records current.
• The local database may become cluttered with patron records for libraries that might borrow infrequently.
• If the borrowing library does not notice the item fulfills an incoming OCLC request AND if the borrowing library is a member of the same shared ILS as the lending library, the borrowing library may accidentally discharge the incoming item. This removes the item it from their local patron account at the lending institution, and prompts the borrowing library to return the item without using it.
• Library staff may accidentally discharge an item in the local circulation system without properly finishing the OCLC ILL transaction.
  • For in-state items, this typically occurs if the item is returned via the ILDS delivery service and does not have the OCLC paperwork.

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