[ILL-L] Unusual problem encountered while making ILL requests on OCLC

[Tiedje, Christine M. DPI-RLL]

We are re-posting this, since it was during the holidays that we first posted it--many people may have been on break so never saw it.  Apologies to those who have already seen it.  Thank you!



One of our staff members using FirstSearch is experiencing an unusual problem that we're hoping someone else has encountered (and has an explanation or a cure for). We'll explain:

We think the problem only occurs after she clicks on "Search for versions with same title and author" (next to "More Like This") to find other bib records for items that are the same or similar on OCLC.

What happens then is that when she chooses the bib record she wants to use to make her ILL request, after clicking on "Transfer to ILL Staff Work Form" some information from a different bib record (usually title, format, and ocm)--from among the list of other results--is transferred onto the work form.  The locations in the lender string are the same ones that were there before she hit "Transfer to ILL Staff Work Form," but the title, ocm, and sometimes the format (depending on the specific item we're talking about-whether it's an AV item or a book)  belong to a different  bib record.  The result is that the ILL request ends up at libraries who do not own the title that appears on the request.

Here's one example: while looking for a DVD called "Judge Judy: Second to None," after doing a title search and getting the correct DVD as a result, she clicked on " Search for versions with same title and author," in case there might be other results that she hadn't found (all staff here use this feature regularly, yet only one long-time staff member is having this problem--and only for the past few months). One of the other search results (after she clicked on "Search for versions with same title and author") was "Judge Judy: Justice Served."   After choosing the "Judge Judy: Second to None" record, then choosing the DVD custom holdings path, putting five locations in the lender string (or leaving the five there that were already there) and then clicking on "Transfer to ILL Staff Work Form," the [wrong] title "Judge Judy: Justice Served" appeared in the title field (and that title's ocm appeared in the OCLC Number field), even though she had chosen the bib record for "Judge Judy: Second to None."  The locations in the lender string who receive our ILL request after we submit it don't necessarily own "Judge Judy: Justice Served"--they own "Judge Judy: Second to None," because that is the bib record we used to make the request and therefore libraries who own that title are in the lender string. Yet the information (title, ocm) that ended up on the work form was for "Judge Judy: Justice Served."

An IT staff person has tried a few things (eg, having her use FireFox instead of Internet Explorer) and he also wondered if using the "Back" button in Internet Explorer while working on a "form" (and then returning to the form) could cause this problem, but all of our staff use the "Back" button regularly (even after hitting "transfer to work form" and filling in various fields on the work form) and then return to the work form.  But the problem persists. Also, this problem doesn't happen with every request--only a small percentage.  The Help Desk at OCLC was consulted but the person she spoke to had not heard of the problem.  We may end up contacting them again.

Whether it might be an OCLC problem or a problem with this staff member's own computer, we wondered if anyone out there has ever experienced this and could offer any advice.  Thank you!