Patron-Initiated Interlibrary Loan

Overview

Librarians may choose to allow patrons/users to create their own interlibrary loan requests in WISCAT and to track them. This has the potential to improve service to the end user by affording them faster and more direct access to materials not held or not available at their local library or system. It also has the potential to free up library staff from some of the time-consuming workflow currently associated with offering interlibrary loan services to their patrons/users.

Participating libraries may offer this service to a selected number or to all of their patrons/users. WISCAT system allows patrons/users to search and create their own interlibrary loan requests for items. Patrons/users using their library's URL link to WISCAT will see a REQUEST THIS ITEM button on the full display of bibliographic records. By clicking on this button they are able to create and submit an electronic interlibrary loan form that is basically identical to the ILL form that staff currently uses.

Requests created by patrons/users are automatically stopped for mediation at the requesting library prior to being sent on to any potential lenders. At that point, staff at the requesting library can review, revise, and either "approve" or "cancel" the request before actual referral.

Patron-initiated interlibrary loan in WISCAT is configured at the requesting library level. Staff at responding libraries should notice no difference in the incoming requests from participating libraries.

Currently, all patron-initiated requests are mediated by the requesting library. Libraries may offer "unmediated" requesting to some or all of their users. At this time, no libraries are offering "unmediated" interlibrary loan requests to their patrons/users. If a library wants to consider offering unmediated service, additional staff training and guidance in end-user training would be provided to that library. Both "Mediated" and "Unmediated" interlibrary loan requesting are optional on a library by library basis. No libraries are required to offer patron-initiated requesting.

Libraries that offer patron-initiated service may discontinue it at any time by contacting the Reference and Loan Library to have this functionality disabled for their patrons.

Email Notification

A complementary function can be activated in WISCAT by a library to automatically send Email Notification to the patron when a request is updated to Received, Recall, or other statuses. This function is available to any library with a WISCAT license.

• Patron Email Notification - Brief instructions on how a library can set the AGent software to automatically send customized email messages to patrons when an ILL status changes on their requests.

Staff Training

An introductory WisLine Web training session and/or phone orientation can be scheduled at the request of libraries interested in participating in patron-initiated requesting. The Web training is designed for library staffs, not for end-users or patrons.

Patron/User Training

Each library will want to work directly in training its own patrons/users. Some additional patron/user training and interaction will likely be necessary by the local library in order to make patron-initiated interlibrary loan work smoothly. The success of patron-initiated interlibrary loan is generally proportional to the amount and the quality of the end-user training.

Customizable training materials for both patrons/users and staff are accessible on this website. These materials include an overview document, an instruction sheet describing how to create a request in WISCAT, and step by step instructions on how patrons may check the status of their own requests using ILL Request Tracking.

Staff Instructions

This section contains information and documentation for library staff related to patron-initiated requests.

• Quickstart Guide to User Accounts - Instructions to add user accounts, create patron categories and set a maximum number of active ILL requests per patron category.
• Troubleshooting Patron-Initiated Requests - Instructions on how to resolve eight different issues.

Patron Instructions

These instructions can be used as hand-outs for patrons. All are in WORD format to allow libraries to customize or edit them for their own situation. In the instructions, replace XXXX in the URL with your WISCAT library code prior to distributing the handouts to your patrons. Use of these handouts is not required; the decision is entirely up to the individual library.

Instructions for patrons who are NOT required to log in to create Interlibrary Loan requests (all patrons see the on a full record display):

• Requesting items through WISCAT (No user record; login is not required)
• Interlibrary Loan Request Status Checking - Includes a chart explaining each status

Instructions for patrons having their own user records in WISCAT and must Log-In to create Interlibrary Loan requests:

• Log into WISCAT to Request Items (User record required for login/authentication purposes)
• Patron Request Status Checking - Includes a chart explaining each status
• Setting My Preferences