Setting Up ILL Requests

Note:
If your library uses INN-Reach, see Implementing and Using INN-Reach Integration.

An interlibrary loan (ILL) request is filled by routing the request to potential lenders outside of the library system. You can set Polaris to allow interlibrary loan requests from the staff client, PAC, or both.

Polaris ILL requests can be processed automatically. Automatic processing is brokered through OCLC’s ILL Direct Request Service. Polaris customers who are OCLC members can use the OCLC Direct-to-Review service. With this service, ILL requests are sent to a review file at OCLC where they are reviewed by library staff and directed to OCLC lending libraries.

Note:
You can also allow ILL requests and process them manually or through a third-party ILL fulfillment system, without OCLC membership.

If you participate in OCLC’s service, you can specify whether requests are sent directly to OCLC's Direct-to-Review service (unmediated), or reviewed by library staff and manually exported to OCLC (mediated).

Use the Request parameter ILL options to specify whether ILL requests are mediated or unmediated, set any restrictions, and enable the OCLC connection. You can set most ILL options at the system, library, or branch level.

To set ILL options, in the Administration Explorer tree view, open the Parameters folder for the organization, click the Request tab in the details view, and double-click ILL options to open the dialog box. See Set holds options: Interlibrary (ILL) loan request processing.

ILL Request Processing Overview

• Patron places an ILL request or a staff member converts a hold request to an ILL request
• Depending on your library's policy:
  • The ILL request status is Active and the ILL request is exported directly to OCLC.
  • The ILL request is Inactive until a staff member reviews the request and exports it to OCLC.
• OCLC processes the request and sends it to the lending library.
• The lending library ships the item to your library.
• A staff member receives the item in Polaris.
  • Temporary bib and item records are created to enable circulation.
  • The ILL request status is set to Received.
  • A notice is sent to the patron that the item is available for pickup.
• The item is checked out to the patron.
• The patron returns the item to the library.
• The item is returned to the lending library.
• A staff member deletes the ILL request, which automatically deletes the temporary bib and item record.

Bibliographic and Item Records for ILL Items

When an item that fills an interlibrary loan request arrives at the library, staff receive the item in Polaris using a special ILL item template. Temporary bibliographic and item records are created from the template to track the item in Polaris. (For more information about this process, see Receiving Interlibrary Loans.) Later, these temporary records are automatically deleted when the ILL request is deleted. Bibliographic and item record deletion for ILL requests honors the settings for the Cataloging profiles Retain deleted bibliographic records and Retain deleted item records for the item’s assigned branch:

• If both Retain deleted bibliographic records and Retain deleted item records for the item’s assigned branch are set to Yes, the records are retained (deleted provisionally) until purged. They cannot be undeleted, however.
• If one of the profiles is set to No and the other is set to Yes, both the bibliographic and item record will be immediately deleted and purged.
• If both Retain deleted bibliographic records and Retain deleted item records for the item’s assigned branch are set to No, the records are immediately deleted and purged.

When an ILL bibliographic or item record is marked for deletion, the “marked for deletion” transaction is logged. When an ILL bibliographic or item record is purged (physically deleted), the transaction is logged is an “ILL delete.”

Note:
Bibliographic and item records for ILL items cannot be deleted manually.

ILL Requests from PAC

If you choose to allow patrons to place ILL requests from PAC, the Place Request button appears for titles in remote database search results. When the patron clicks Place Request and logs in, the system checks for settings that block hold requests from PAC (such as patron blocks, duplicate requests, and request limits). It also checks for separate blocks specifically for ILL requests. If the request is blocked for any of these reasons, the appropriate message is displayed. If the request passes these checks, the system then checks to see if any duplicate titles are available for requests in the local database. If matching local titles are detected and one or more is available, the system displays a message that includes the options to continue the ILL request for the remote title, place a request on the local title, or cancel. If the patron chooses to place the local request, the ILL process stops and the system creates a hold request. If the patron chooses to proceed with the ILL request, the system processes the request as an ILL request.

Note:
You can suppress the Place Request button for selected types of material. Your settings affect search results in both local and remote databases. See Suppressing Request and Availability Options.