Checking Out Returnable ILL Items
If an ILL item is "returnable", you must check the item out to the requesting patron after receiving it. No checkout is required for items that you indicated were "non-returnable" when you received them.
To check out a returnable ILL item to a requesting patron, check out the item as you would an item belonging to your library.
The system performs standard evaluations and blocks the checkout if necessary. For example, if the patron's "Need by" date is earlier than the current date, the system does not check out the item.
If there is no reason to block the checkout, the system:
- Calculates the due date for the ILL item.
- Removes the item from the ILL holdshelf.
The ILL request record remains in the returns file and the virtual item record remains in the patron record until the item has been returned to the supplying institution and you update the Returned field of the ILL request.
How the System Calculates the Due Date for Returnable ILL Items
The system:
- Determines which of the following is earlier and uses it as the initial due date:
- the owning library's "Need to Return by" date
- the owning library's "Need to Return by" date adjusted for your internal "Need to Return by" date
- the due date based on the item's loan rule
- Adjusts the initial due date based on standard due date factors, such as days in the Days Closed table.
Using the Internal "Need to Return by" Date Feature
Your library can specify a specific number of days for the system to subtract from the owning library's "Need to Return by" date when calculating the due date of ILL items. These extra days allow your library time to return the item to the owning library.
For example, your library might specify 10 days. If an owning library's "Need to Return by" date would otherwise enable a due date of 30 days in the future, your system subtracts 10 from 30 to calculate a due date of 20 days in the future.
Note that if you have this feature enabled, the system does not consult the item's loan rule when calculating the due date. Only the owning library's "Need to Return by" date and your internal adjustment are used.
To enable an internal "Need to Return by" date for your library, contact Innovative.