Step 6

Receive the item, or not (what to do with unfilled requests).

6a: Receive a loan.

Once the lender has agreed to supply a loan, that library will update the item to "shipped." Wait for the item to come.

Your patron may ask for a status report. You can look up requests several ways:

• If you use ILLiad or ClioAdvanced, patrons can check the status of their own requests by logging in.
• You can check a patron's request in WorldCat Resource Sharing by looking up the patron's name or the title of the item.
  • Link to tips on searching for patron names.

Ship times can vary depending on method of shipping.

• USPS Library Rate Mail can be extremely slow.
• Some libraries ship via UPS, Federal Express or DHL.
• If an item is lost in the mail on its way to your library, you are responsible for reimbursing the owning library for the lost item.

If an item remains in "shipped" status for more than 7 days, WorldCat Resource Sharing flags the request in the "Special Messages Borrower" file, and you can notify the lending library that the item was not received.

Next, the loan will be received physically in your library. Update to "received" in your IMS or WorldCat Resource Sharing.

• What if there are errors updating to received (talk about why this can happen and how to fix)?

6b: Receive copy.

A photocopy may be delivered several ways:

• electronically (in Ariel)
• physically, in the mail or through a consortial courier
• by fax
• by e mail

Update the copy to "received" in your IMS and/or WorldCat Resource Sharing. If the lender shipped the item without a due date, updating the copy to received will cause it to drop off OCLC.

• What about errors?
• If a library ships the copy as a loan, the item will have a due date. You must also update this as "returned." Seven days after the due date has passed, you will receive an overdue notice in your "Special Messages Borrower," and you can update the copy as returned at that time, too.

If the article is incomplete or unreadable (in Ariel or fax), do not update the copy to received, but contact the supplying library and ask them to send another copy or send the missing pages.

6c: Item is unfilled.

If no library is able to supply an item, it becomes "unfilled" in WorldCat Resource Sharing.

1. View the request. Most libraries supply a reason for no.

Standard reasons for no:

• In use/on loan
• In process
• Lost
• Non-circulating
• Not owned
• On order
• Volume/issue not yet available
• At bindery
• Lacking
• Not on shelf
• On reserve
• Poor condition
• Cost exceeds limit
• Charges
• Prepayment required
• Lacks copyright compliance
• Not found as cited
• Locations not found
• On hold
• Policy problem
• Requested delivery services not available
• Preferred delivery time not possible
• Other

If a library does not supply a reason for no, the request will say "unspecified" next to that library's lender symbol.

2. Delete the request from OCLC.

• Using Clio
• Using ILLiad
• In WorldCat Resource Sharing

3. Decide whether to re-request the item or cancel the request.

A loan might be:

• non-circulating (check for circulating copies)
• in use (try to re-request from another library)
• in process (in cataloging or technical services)
• on order (too new; not yet received)

Articles might be:

• not found as cited (try to verify citation and re-request: perhaps you requested using the wrong OCLC record, or the patron supplied the wrong journal title or citation in his or her request)
• lacking (check the dates for the OCLC record you are using to request the article. Many serials, especially newspapers, have different OCLC records for different years. You want to make sure yours matches)
• in process/not yet available (check the date of your citation. Patrons may have requested an article that was abstracted as a preprint or is still in press)

Dissertations
Many libraries do not lend dissertations, but some libraries might own reprints or microfilm of a dissertation title purchased through UMI. Search for another record in OCLC.

Audiovisual Materials
There are often several OCLC records for the same A/V content, especially videorecordings. Check for another record.

If an item was received:
Forward to Step 7: Deliver to patron

If an item was not received:
Back to Step 4: Search and verify

OR

Forward to Cancel Request

Back to Main