Statistics day

At the end of the month, all of the library's departments scurry around collecting numbers and statistics to quantify what we do - and interlibrary loan is no different.

At CCPL, we are fortunate enough to have Clio (http://www.cliosoftware.com), an Access-based program that compiles our requests and helps us turn them into statistical reports. It is much easier for us than counting a large pile of forms or entries in a notebook. The Access platform enables us to generate all kinds of statistics, including average delivery time (9.8 days for 2007).

So how did we do this month? We had 836 requests, counting requests for renewals. We were able to fill 573 of them (69 percent), including 23 items that CCPL already owned. We have 105 requests still outstanding, which means no library has shipped the items as of today. If all of those requests are filled, we will reach 678 requests filled (81 percent).

On the lending side, we received 312 requests to borrow or renew items, of which we filled 156 (50 percent). Our most common reason for not lending an item is that we do not own it (despite what OCLC may say about our holdings).

Over the last three years, our total requests on both borrowing and lending sides have increased close to 10 percent each year. We are busy, busy, busy and we like it!

Will I be notified if my item is unavailable?

Absolutely. We usually send hot pink postcards when this happens, which are designed to be an attention-grabber. We will send e-mail if an e-mail address is included on the request.

We don't telephone when items are unavailable. When we did this, people started showing up at the library thinking they could pick up an item, instead of listening to the message stating that the item was *NOT* available.

If you have questions regarding the status of your interlibrary loan request, please feel free to contact us at 805-6940 or i l l (at) c c p l (dot) org.

Can you get things for college students?

Yes, but you may wish to know of some options that may get you what you need faster.

Many college libraries in South Carolina subscribe to a service called Polaris. This interagency service transfers items between South Carolina college libraries in as little as three working days. If the item you need is not in South Carolina, college libraries subsidize interlibrary loan requests for their students. Many academic libraries will not lend to public libraries, or charge a hefty fee to them for the loan of materials.

About textbooks: just-published textbooks are usually not available via interlibrary loan; mainly because the expense makes libraries reluctant to release them. Some libraries will lend textbooks to public libraries. However, you may only get to keep the item a short time, and certainly not the length of a full academic semester. While we sympathize with the difficulty and expense of buying and reselling textbooks, we cannot buy everyone's textbooks for them, or keep other libraries' books indefinitely. Failure to return items on time jeopardizes our ability to borrow items for others in the future.

Is there anything you can't get?

We have received many requests that we were unable to fill, for a variety of reasons.

• Reason 1: No library wants to lend the item. This can happen with very rare items, older publications, and hard-to-replace genealogical material. It also frequently happens with DVDs, videos, and CDs - very few libraries are willing to let these items out.
• Reason 2: Some libraries may be willing to lend the item, but charge a fee to do so. Many academic libraries charge $20.00 or more to lend items to public libraries.
• Reason 3: The item has just been released or published. No library wants to let a recently acquired item vanish from their collection, when their taxpaying patrons may want it.
• Reason 4: The item was scheduled to be published, but has been delayed. If no one has the item, we cannot obtain it.
• Reason 5: Citation errors. With the advent of the Internet, more information is available on a variety of topics. Unfortunately, some people's citation lists are not as accurate as others; titles may be misquoted and misappropriated. Other people refer to these pages, and the errors perpetuate themselves.
• Reason 6: The item may not be available in the format you want. We have had increasing demand for books on CD; they are not released fast enough for the just-published book to have a CD format, unless it is a guaranteed best-seller.

We will do our best to obtain the items requested, but not everything ever published is available for interlibrary loan. We can usually fill 75-80 percent of the requests we get.

That library in the wilds of Alaska has the book I want

The Internet has provided us with numerous ways to locate information and items to borrow - library catalogs, WorldCat.org, Amazon, historical society websites - just about everyone has links to resources on every topic.

So you've found a library that owns the item you want - what can the interlibrary loan department do for you?

Keep in mind that the library that owns the item may not be willing to lend it out or may charge fees for loaning items to CCPL. If the lending library charges a fee, the fee is passed on to the person ordering the item.

Since most people want free items, the interlibrary loan department will begin locating free lenders geographically. We start with South Carolina libraries, then move to North Carolina and Georgia, then expand our search as needed. Most of our items are located at libraries within the southeast.

So if you want that book from Alaska, please know that we will try to locate a lending library closer to us first, so that you can get your book faster!

How many ILL items can I have?

Interlibrary loan requests are limited to 4 "active" requests at one time.

What is an "active" request?

• an item that we are searching for
• an item that we have received, but is on its way to a branch for you
• an item that is checked out to you
• an item that is in-library use only, but is still being held for you
• an item that has been returned, but is on its way back to us

Requests for photocopies only count as active until the copies arrive at CCPL; since they do not have to be returned, the request becomes inactive upon our receipt of the copies.

If you exceed your limit, the extra requests are placed in a hold file in the interlibrary loan department. They are processed as items on your account are returned or become inactive.

What's this yellow thing on my item?

In order to quickly identify interlibrary loan items and separate them from CCPL items, we place a large yellow bookband on the item.

This band is not just decorative; it contains useful information regarding the item - not the least important of which is the due date, stamped in bright red.

The band also has the reminder that interlibrary loan items should be returned inside the library, to minimize the potential for damage in the bookdrop. Our contact information is included, in case a renewal is needed or questions arise.

PLEASE do not remove this band. Unidentified non-CCPL items are routed to our administrative department, which could result in increasing late fines or item loss fees if they are not located promptly.

I've been on the waiting list forever . . .

Can I get a CCPL item that has a long waiting list via interlibrary loan?

If CCPL owns an item, we cannot borrow that item from another library. We cannot deprive another library system of a popular item just because we have a waiting list. If the waiting list is excessively long, CCPL may purchase more copies.

If all of CCPL's copies are lost (checked out & not returned) or missing from our shelves, we can try to find the item in another library system.

If the item is on the shelf at another CCPL branch, you may place a hold through the CCPL library catalog online or contact the branch directly to obtain the item. If you have trouble with the library catalog, our reference staff will be glad to help you (call 805-6930).

How long do I get to keep my item?

The loan period for an interlibrary loan item is set by the lending library. Most libraries give 3-4 weeks for items; many have shorter loan periods and a few longer.

Returning items by the date stamped on our yellow bookband will ensure that we are able to borrow books again from the lender. Many items are also renewable if you contact us before item is due.

I want a book that CCPL will not let me check out

We are unable to borrow items that CCPL owns via interlibrary loan. Our precedent for this is set by the national Interlibrary Loan Code, devised by the American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/interlibrary.htm).

Certain items at CCPL do not circulate, such as reference books and items in our South Carolina History Room. The reasoning behind this is that these items should be equally available to everyone who comes in to use them, and our ability to help others could be jeopardized if an item is checked out and not returned. This is especially true of South Carolina Room items, many of which are unique and irreplaceable.

The Reference Department and the South Carolina Room staff are delighted to help with any questions you might have regarding these items, including locating specific citations within them. Visit our website (www.ccpl.org) and click "Services" for more information.

How long will it take to get my item?

Before we can obtain any interlibrary loan item, four things have to happen:

• A library has to own the item
• The library has to be willing to lend the item
• The library has to be able to find the item on its shelves
• The library has to prepare and ship the item

Libraries have different response rates for the above actions. Some will process the request the same day they receive it; others, if they are a small system or have a large number of requests, will take longer to respond.

In South Carolina, most libraries participate in the interagency mail system, which transfers items from library to library within a week. Outside of South Carolina, most libraries ship items to us via library mail, which is inexpensive but can be V E R Y slow. Our average turnaround time, from placing the request to receiving the item, is 10-11 days. Transferring the item from the Main branch to other branches can take 2-3 days.

Unfortunately, rush service is not available. For those who need items right away, there are other non-library venues, such as Amazon's next-day delivery service. And yes, that is not free. If speed is a priority, interlibrary loan may not be a good choice.

If you are willing to wait a bit, interlibrary loan can be a great way to view items from all across the country.

Can I get the new Harry Potter book via ILL?

Unfortunately, no.

Most libraries will not lend items that have just been released. If this sounds selfish, think about it - if CCPL had a hot new item that everyone wanted, would you want us to send it out to another library system? We're all looking out for our own patrons here - the ones who provide the tax base to keep us going. These libraries would be happy to lend the item several months down the road, when their patrons' demands for the item have decreased.

So now what? CCPL is always happy to entertain suggestions for purchase. They can be submitted in the library, by phone, or via our AskAQuestion service (http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?id=14596&action=detail&catID=5407&parentID=5373).

In most cases, the item will be purchased, and those who requested it notified. If the item is not purchased, those who requested it will be notified as well - and then we can try the interlibrary loan process.

So you want to borrow an item from another library

Now what?

You can submit your request in several ways:

• in person at a branch
• by telephone, to Interlibrary Loan directly at 805-694o or Main Telephone Reference at 805-6930 or the branch of your choice
• by e-mail at i l l (at) c c p l (dot) org
• via our webform at http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?name=Site&catID=9749&parentID=9676

We will need your library card number, contact information, and as much information about the item you want as you can find.

Why your library card number? If you do not have a library card, you cannot borrow CCPL items. If you can't borrow CCPL items, we cannot ask other libraries to lend their items to us for you.

We take your contact information in as many forms as possible so we can be sure of reaching you when your item is available, or if we have a question about your request. We can contact you by mail, by phone, or by e-mail.

The more we know about the item you want, the better chance we have of finding it. This is especially true when the same title is available in a variety of formats - book, CD, DVD, etc. At minimum, we need a title and author for books/books on CD, title and artist for music CDs, and title and release date for DVDs.

Interlibrary loan items, like CCPL items, can be sent to any branch. We need to know which branch you use so we can send the item there for you. You will be notified by phone, e-mail or postcard when the item is available.

What is interlibrary loan, anyway?

Interlibrary loan enables libraries to share resources with each other. For those not fluent in library-speak, it means that if your library does not own an item, they can try to get it for you from another library system.

Some libraries use this term to describe the movement of items between branches of the same library system, but we will use the definition above.

I hope to use this blog to help both patrons and library staff understand just what interlibrary loan can do - and what, unfortunately, it can't do. I will be posting my thoughts on the service, and hope that you will do the same.