[ILL-L] ILL Code - advice needed

[Campbell, Heather]

We interpret No Longer Available as- we no longer own it.  Our library's
ILL Policy and Procedures spell out what we can and cannot request.  The
ILL Policy and Procedures were approved by the Library Board so we
follow it to the letter.
 
We also go by the ILL Code set by our local network- which addresses
your question more directly by saying the ILL was not to be used to
replace good Collection Development practices or to supplement
holds/reserves systems. You may want to check any local network or your
state's ILL policies for any support to your position. The state and
local network policies are tied into contracts that we signed with those
entities so we're legally bound to abide by them. Our library's ILL
policy says that if we own it, we cannot request it through ILL.  
 
There's one exception to this: if all the copies of a title are missing
or lost, we will request the book.  We place the OCLC record number of
the title on the list of No Longer Owned Titles we send to Cataloging
(so they can remove these records from our OCLC holdings) and to
Collection Development and the Main Library subject departments so they
can reorder the item if it is still in print.  We will not request a
title that we own in Reference or in any of our Special Collections.  
 
But- yes- we'll get requests from customers who want to read books on
the best-sellers' list but don't want to wait their turn on the holds
list.  I'm expecting this to occur more and more as the cuts affect our
materials budget and we can't buy enough to even come close to meeting
the demand.  And- it's also been my experience, that if a book  or topic
is popular at my library, it is often popular at other libraries as
well. I remember when Tookie Williams was nearing his final days on
Death Row, we were inundated with requests for our one copy of one of
his books.  It was on the Holds list here as well.
 

Heather Campbell
Special Services ~ Interlibrary Loan and Books By Mail
Jacksonville Public Library
Jacksonville, Florida 32202
ill at coj.net    904-630-2985 

 

________________________________

From: ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Linda Wilkinson
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:20 PM
To: 'Interlibrary Loan Listserv'
Subject: [ILL-L] ILL Code - advice needed



 

 

I'm having a lot of discussions and controversy with my branch
librarians about when it is appropriate to request material via ILL that
we already own.  Our policy is currently to request material if our own
copies are "on order" or "in processing", are "lost", or are "checked
out" but overdue by at least a week; in other words, if we can't be sure
when the material will be available, we will request from somewhere
else.  But, if our own copies are checked out but *not* overdue, our
patrons are encouraged to wait for the item to return, and a hold is
placed if our owning branch is willing to lend it upon its return.
Exceptions are made, of course, for urgently needed material (such as
for academic use, though that's rare since we're a public library).

 

More and more, patrons are insisting on requesting material on ILL that
is just checked-out, but not yet overdue.  I've told everyone that
there's no guarantee that an ILL would be found and delivered before our
own item returns, but I'm still facing a lot of opposition.  I hate to
put other libraries' materials at risk in the mail system when we own
the item (sometimes multiple copies even!).

 

I searched the ILL Code and Explanatory Supplement for guidance, and
found the following:

 

>From the ILL Code:

2.1 The purpose of interlibrary loan as defined by this code is to
obtain, upon request of a library user, material not available in the
user's local library.

 

>From the Explanatory Supplement:
2. Purpose:  Interlibrary loan is intended to complement local
collections and is not a substitute for good library collections
intended to meet the routine needs of users.

5.9 Recall: Increasingly, some libraries are finding it more effective
to request the material on ILL for a local user rather than recall
material in use by another library.

 

 

How do your libraries define "not available" as used in 2.1 above?  Do
you just go ahead and request items you already own, or are there
criteria and limitations on what can be borrowed on ILL?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linda Wilkinson, ILL Coordinator
Southeastern Public Library System of OK
OCLC symbol: OKI

wilkinson at sepl.lib.ok.us <mailto:wilkinson at sepl.lib.ok.us>  

 

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