owlsweb

New or Improved

Info to Go

Top Links

• Staff Login to WorldCat
• Statuses in the My Requests section of My Account [pdf]
• NFLS ILL page
  Check here for information about new ILL developments and procedures.
• What to do if you get an ILL you did not request
• List of old 3 letter library codes for the OWLSnet and Brown Co. Libraries

Contact?

• Anne Miller - Resource Sharing Coordinator for OWLS/NFLS - 920-448-4418
• Email: illhelp [at] mail.nfls.lib.wi.us
• Evan : For assistance withWorldCat searching or problems logging into WorldCat - 920-832-6192

ILL Information from NFLS

Unfilled vs. "final unfilleds"

First of all, make sure to look through the requests in your account at least once a week - if you have any that are pending -  for what we call "final unfilleds".   This is not the same as seeing the status "unfilled" in the status column.  Disregard "unfilled" when it shows up in the status column. This means the request has gone through at least its initial lender string and was not supplied by any of those libraries. NFLS ILL reviews all "unfilleds" and creates another lender string if possible. A FINAL unfilled will be indicated by a message in the title field of the request in front of the title - giving the reason the item can't be filled so you can communicate that to your patron.  This is an example:

[***UNFILLED*** TOO HIGH DEMAND AT ALL LIBS. THAT LEND THEIR POP AV] The twilight zone. Season 2.

IMPORTANT:  once you see a final unfilled in your account, take the info., share it with your patron and cancel it from your account so that it is no longer in the OCLC system.

How soon can we get a request checked on?

Actually, anytime.  But if you want a general rule to go by - do it by importance:

1. Deadline requests always require immediate attention (read instructions below).
2. Not a deadline but important? (use your judgment), but also any time.
3. In general?  3 weeks.

If You Have A Status Request, Please Do So Via Email. Provide the following information:

1. For the subject line of your email, use something clear and informative like: FLO - Tales of Galapagos - requesting status check
   -- versus subject line:  "ILL"
2. In the message of your email, give us the item title, your library, and any other information that's helpful for us to know -- including why you need a status check.

We will then email a you final response - whether it can be filled or not, how soon, etc.   If it can't be filled, we'll let you know as well as the reason/s why.

What about deadline requests?

Generally requests that have deadlines that are within 10 business days are almost never able to be filled - mainly because, depending on the lender, the time required in delivery alone usually won't make it in that timeframe.  If you have a deadline sooner than 10 business days, we will look at the request anyway to see if we can get if filled within that timeframe, but use your judgment on those and check the owning libs yourself - you can check shelf status yourself within OCLC.  For gauging delivery times, most UW's get statewide van delivery daily - so they tend to be fast.  With WI public libraries, the resource libraries are (usually) the fastest to get items from via statewide van delivery for the same reason.

Submit a deadline request in OCLC specifically indicating the deadline date that your patron needs to receive the item by in the notes field.  Then please email Pat or Anne at NFLS ILL with:  1.) the title of the request, 2.) which library you are, 3.) the deadline date - in case it's not in the notes field of the request and/or also so that we see it right away in your email, 4.) use a subject line for your email reading something like:  Deadline req. for NIA - date needed: 00/00/00

NFLS ILL staff will then: 1.) see if there are any lenders who have the item on the shelf that we can get delivery from within your timeframe.  If so, we'll email you back with that info. and we will keep it on a list we have of requests to watch whether they are getting filled or not. 2.) If the item can't be filled within your timeframe we'll also let you know that including the reasons why, so you can get back to your patron right away with that information so that they know whether they can expect it or not.