My request has disappeared

When we place an order for an item from another library, a brief (temporary) record is placed in our catalog for the title, and a hold is placed for the patron who ordered it. The tracking number on the title is the same as the number assigned by OCLC, the national database we use for ordering items.

Not all requests are filled on the first (or second) go-round. When a request bounces back to us as unfilled -- after visiting five libraries -- we remove the temporary record for the title with its tracking number, to avoid confusion. If we are able to find other libraries that have the item, we place another order for it. A new brief record is created -- with the new tracking number -- and a hold is placed for the patron.

If we are unable to locate any more libraries that own the item, we contact the patron. This is usually done by postcard, but if an e-mail address is included on the request form, we respond by e-mail.

There is sometimes a time lag between the deletion of one temporary record and its replacement by another. We handle many, many requests every day, and sometimes we have a backlog of new records to place in the catalog. We do the best we can to have all new records in by the end of our business day, but occasionally we have an overnight lag.

If you have any questions regarding your request, please feel free to contact us. Your local branch may be able to provide some information, but more detailed information is available from our department directly (I L L (at) c c p l (dot) org) or 805-6940.

It's nothing personal

Over the years we have had a number of requests we could not fill, for various reasons. Occasionally people will call to ask why. Their tones of voice range from quietly curious to spitting mad, wondering why we are conspiring to deny them their constitutional rights.

Most people understand, in the case of hard-to-find items, that libraries may not want to part with something that is irreplaceable. Others believe that paying taxes allows them to say and do whatever they please, regardless of rules or courtesy.

Frankly, we are so busy that we barely have time to register who is ordering items, much less set up personal vendettas against people. We don't walk into the library each day saying "Who are we not going to help today?" It is much easier and better for my ego to fill a request if I possibly can, but the realities of interlibrary loan sometimes work against us.

If we are not able to fill your request, it is not because we picked your request at random to shred. It is not part of a government plot. We search to the best of our ability, and most of the time we succeed. If sometimes we fail, it is NOT due to lack of trying.

It has been a very long week for us in Charleston. Compared with our firefighters, we librarians have an easy job. Interlibrary loan is not life and death, and no one will die if an item is not loaned, regardless of what it is.

More numbers . . .

I've been working on some comparative statistics - comparing May 2007 with previous Mays, and January-May 2007 with the same period in previous years.

In May 2001 we processed 463 borrowing requests.
In May 2007 we processed 750 borrowing requests (38.3% increase).

In May 2001 we processed 237 lending requests.
In May 2007 we processed 291 lending requests (18.6% increase).

In the period January-May 2001, we processed 2419 borrowing requests.
In the period January-May 2007, we processed 3978 borrowing requests (39.2% increase).

In the period January-May 2001, we processed 1114 lending requests.
In the period January-May 2007, we processed 1621 lending requests (31.3% increase).

It is amazing how much we have grown!

ILL needs a clue . . .

Sometimes the requests we receive are very cryptic. For example, we received a request for newspaper microfilm that gave only the town and the date - no state information, and not the name of the paper.

When we looked up the name of the town, we found that three states in widely different parts of the US had a town by that name, and each had a library. Luckily we were able to reach the patron, who clarified what state she needed.

We also receive requests for items that have been released in multiple formats: book, large print book, audio cassette, CD, DVD, and VHS. It helps us tremendously to know what format you need, so please indicate that on the form. If it doesn't matter whether you have a DVD or VHS, please let us know that too. Sometimes if we can't find one format, we can find another.

Amazon often puts an ASIN in their records for which there is no ISBN. Unfortunately, many of those do not work in OCLC, the database we use for searching items. If the ASIN starts with a B or a 6, we cannot use it. ISBN-10 or ISBN-13's usually work - whichever you can find is fine.

The more clues we have, the faster we can locate an item!

Back to work . . .

I'm back from three days at Mt Pleasant. The change in routine was fun, and I enjoyed the variety of questions presented by a different crop of patrons.

But today I'm in my old groove again - and it does feel good to be back. The pile of notes on my desk was small, which makes me happy. The ILL crew and backup staff did an excellent job (just like they do every day).

A different perspective

I'm visiting the Mt Pleasant branch for a few days as part of our reference staff exchange. All those questions we at Main send off to other departments (AV, Fiction, Young Adult, etc) are handled at one service point. Also all reference-related phone calls are routed to this point as well. It's been a marvelous exercise for my brain but I was relieved when my desk shift ended at 3:00.

I'm also meeting our frequent ILL requestors who were just names on paper. When I called people yesterday to pick up items, those I spoke to were thrilled to hear that their books were in. A few came in within the hour to retrieve their items, and all were pleased with the service. This has been a great experience!

And many thanks to those who are soldiering on in ILL while I'm here - I appreciate your help!

What we lend to other libraries

We are very grateful for anything that other libraries are willing to lend to us. We try to express this gratitude by sharing as many of our resources as possible with other libraries.

In 2004, we began lending our audiovisual materials to other libraries. In previous years we had had a difficult time borrowing music CDs, books on tape, and movies via interlibrary loan. But once we began sharing our collection with others, we started filling a greater proportion of our media requests.

There are a few things that we do not lend:

• Reference books - because we need them here. If we don't let our patrons take them out, we won't send them to another library system.
• South Carolina History Room items - same reason. We will be happy to check for a specific name or page number and make copies of the relevant pages, if that will help.
• Microfilm - our holdings are limited and difficult to replace. Again, if you have a specific citation, we can make copies.
• New books - We like to give our patrons a fair shot at the newest materials. Once books move off of the new book shelf (usually six months or so) we are happy to lend.

Lending begets lending, so we try to be as generous as possible with our collection.

What happens if I return an ILL item late?

The late fine for interlibrary loan items is 25 cents per day, to a maximum late fine of $15.00.

If an item is not returned by three weeks after the due date, the borrower's library card is blocked. If the item is not returned by four weeks after the due date, we contact the lending library and ask for an invoice. Once we receive an invoice, the charges are added to the borrower's library card. Until the charges are paid or the item is returned, borrowers cannot check out any items from any CCPL branch. The charges are nonrefundable.

Charges vary depending upon the lending library. Nearly all libraries charge the replacement cost of the book plus a processing fee (which can vary from $5 to $50 or more). The replacement charges on a rare or out of print item can exceed $100.

Please make every effort to return interlibrary loan items on time. Keeping interlibrary loan items gives CCPL the reputation for being unreliable, and hinders our future ability to borrow items.