Set holds options: Interlibrary (ILL) loan request processing

To allow staff (and patrons, if you choose) to request interlibrary loans:

Note:
If you plan to use OCLC’s ILL Direct Request service and your library is not already an OCLC member, establish an account with Direct Request Service to use the Direct-to-Review service. Contact the OCLC regional office. The setup in Polaris requires the IP address and your OCLC log-in name and password for the service.

  1. In the Administration Explorer tree view, open the Parameters folder for the organization, and click the Request tab in the details view.
  2. Double-click ILL options. The ILL Options dialog box - Requests tabbed page appears.

dpILLOptdlg.gif 

  1. To permit ILL requests from Polaris PowerPAC, follow these steps:

Note:
For details about PAC processing, see ILL Requests from PAC.

  1. Select the PAC requests Enable check box.

Note:
When a patron requests a title from remote database (Z39.50) search results and logs on, a message regarding ILL requests is displayed according to the setting for the patron’s registered branch. The default message is You are about to place an Inter-Library Loan request for an item from a remote library system. If your library charges for Inter-Library Loan requests, your account will be charged accordingly. Do you want to place this request? You can customize and translate the message using Polaris Language Editor (WebAdmin). The message string ID is ILL_TEXT_REQINFO (ILL “product”). For more information about using Polaris Language Editor to customize and translate messages, see the Polaris Language Editor (WebAdmin) Guide, or Language Editor online Help.

  1. If you will use OCLC and you want your staff to review all ILL requests made by patrons before they are sent to OCLC, select the Mediate all check box.
  2. Click Apply.

Important:
The settings for the patron’s registered branch determine whether the patron can place an ILL request from the PAC. You should also set up remote databases as PAC search targets. Registering Remote Resource Servers and Editing Messages and Labels.

  1. To allow library staff to create ILL requests in the staff client, select the Staff requests Enable check box, and click Apply.

Note:
If your library uses the Polaris Web App (Leap) and you have enabled ILL requests from either the PAC or staff client (or both), the ILL view is available in the Patron Registration workform in Leap. If ILL requests are not enabled, the ILL view is not available, the Patron Registration workform in Leap does not include this view.

  1. To place limits on ILL requests, click the Restrictions tab and do the following steps:
  1. If you will use OCLC and you want your staff to review ILL requests converted from hold requests in the staff client, select the Hold-to-ILL is mediated check box. If the check box is cleared, the converted ILL requests are automatically sent to OCLC.
  2. To prevent one or more categories of patrons from requesting interlibrary loans, select the check box for each appropriate patron code in the Patron codes to exclude list.
  3. In the Need-by box, set the default number of days by which an ILL request should be filled.
  4. In the Held Period box, specify how long an item is held for a patron to pick up before being returned to the lending library. The system takes into account the library’s closed dates and days when calculating this period.

Note:
The Held Period setting controls the date that prints on the Polaris ILL hold slip, but it does not automatically change the ILL status.

Note:
If your library uses INN-Reach for interlibrary loans and you do not allow patrons to place ILL requests from PAC (see Step 3), you can still modify the default Need-by and Held Period settings. For more information about INN-Reach, see Implementing and Using INN-Reach Integration.

  1. (System level only) Choose a block option:
  • Over 2nd level fine amount - The patron is blocked if the money owed is over the 2nd level fine amount set by the patron’s registered branch, and a block message is displayed in PAC.
  • Over [amount] - Select this option and set an amount. The patron is blocked if the money owed is greater than or equal to the amount you specify, and a block message is displayed in PAC. This is the default setting. The default amount is $0.01, which blocks the request if the patron owes any money at all.
  1. Click Apply.
  1.  (OCLC subscribers only) To set up your connection to OCLC’s ILL service, click the OCLC tab and do these steps:
  1. Select the Enable OCLC connection check box to indicate you are using the OCLC ILL service provider.
  2. In the OCLC Symbol box, type the library mnemonic for the system, library, or branch that has the account with OCLC.
  3. (System level only) In the Polling interval box, specify how often (in minutes) Polaris should send ILL requests to OCLC. The default setting is 15 minutes.
  4. In the Address and port box, type the IP address and the port number (IP address:port number) of the server where Polaris sends the ILL requests. Do not include http://.
  5. In the Login name box, type the login identifier for the OCLC server.
  6. In the Password box, type the password for your OCLC account.
  1. Click Save to submit your settings. The Explorer or workform is displayed.

Important (OCLC Subscribers only):
The Polaris Application Server handles ILL direct requests to OCLC. If your application server name changes, enter the new Polaris Application Server name in the system-level Request parameter ILL: Computer designated for sending OCLC/ILL direct requests.

If a library is unable to provide the requested item for any reason, a Not Supplied status is available.

To set the not supplied status:

Note:
The option is a check box and is not checked by default.

  1. In the Administration Explorer tree view, open the Parameters folder at the system, library, or branch level, and select the Requests tabbed page in the details view.
  2. Double-click Holds options. The Hold Options dialog box - Requests tabbed page appears.
  3. Click the RTF Requests-To-Fill or RTF processing sends hold requests to designated libraries in a specified order. A library chooses to fill or deny the request. The request is routed until it is filled, it expires, or every library denies it. tab.
  4. Select (check) Set request to Not-supplied if.
  5. Select one or all of the following options to accompany Set request to Not-supplied if:

Note:
For a request to go to Not-Supplied, the following must be true:
-The request must be a bib-level request
-All attached items are not holdable due to the holdable option not checked, items are restricted by status, or items are restricted by holdable option.

  1. Click Apply to save your settings and continue to work with holds options, or click OK to save your settings and close the Holds options dialog box.

Request Manager Options

If the request status is Located, the following options are available from the Request manager tool bar.

Note:
These same options are available from the request workform when the request is in this status.

Upon selection, the new status is displayed in the request workform with associated date/time stamp. This status is also displayed in the request history with associated date/time, username and branch.

Holds Status Matrix

 

Inactive

Active / Pending

Located

Shipped

Held

Unclaimed

Cancelled

Not-supplied

Expired

Out*

Inactive

 

Y

N

Y/FN

Y/FN

N

Y

N

Y

N?

Active/ Pending

Y

 

Y

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

N

Located

N

N

 

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Shipped

N

N

N

 

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Held

N

N

N

Y/1

 

Y

N

N

N

Y

Unclaimed

N

N

N

N

N

 

N

N

N

Y

Cancelled

Y/Re

Y/Re

N

N

N

N

 

Y/Re

N

N

Not-supplied

Y/Re

Y/Re

N

N

N

N

N

 

N

N

Expired

Y/Re

Y/Re

N

N

N

N

N

N

 

N

Out*

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

 

*Optional


This chart indicates the workflow of hold items and assists in clarifying the processes available within Polaris.

Key

Y/FN

Yes with Fill Now

Y/Re

Yes with Reactivate

Y/1

Held can go to Shipped if the pickup branch is changed

N

No

For example, a request can go from Inactive to Active/ Pending and Expired. Additionally, a request can go to Shipped or Held only with Fill Now. However, Located cannot go to Cancelled.

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