Interlibrary Loan Round Table - May 2025 Summary

Vermont Interlibrary Loan Round Table Meeting Summary

May 13, 2025, 10 AM

The meeting recording may be viewed here.

Comments in the Teams meeting chat that were not captured in the recording are included within the meeting summary below.

Open discussion, Questions & Answers:

1. Kelly Johnston from MMU High School Library (submitted via email): When sending items to MMU High School Library, please include a mailing return label. Kelly is continuing to receive ILL books without a mailing return label included with the book. “It is so helpful to have a return address as I am not a courier library and want to make sure I am mailing the books back to the correct library.”

2. Wendy from Bent Northrop Memorial Library shared feedback about the back button in Clover. This was removed in a recent update, and it would be nice to see this feature return. Karalyn will submit an enhancement request with Autographics.

Kat Cyr from Middlebury College and Russell Memorial Library: "As a workaround for the back button, you can also navigate to different pages by clicking the hyperlinked names up in the top left - ILL Admin >> Lender Requests, etc.”

3. Skye from Rockingham asks about a recent updated courier libraries list, and if a list of non-courier libraries is available. The courier libraries list has been updated this week and is available at: https://libraries.vermont.gov/services-vermont-libraries/interlibrary-loan/interlibrary-loan-courier-program

The Department of Libraries will provide updates via the LibCourier listserv as new libraries are added.

To learn more about the Department of Libraries listservs, visit this webpage: https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/news/listservs-vermont-libraries
Tenzin from Fletcher free shared “we use the address from the print out from clover if we don't have the return mailing label for local libraries but its challenging if its out of state.”
Kat Cyr shared “We print the updated PDF whenever it gets updated--it's handy to have next to our bins for double checks.”

4. Jenny from McCullough asked about the cutting of the federal funds for interlibrary loans and where that stands, and what will it affect. And what are libraries doing to respond to this?

Updates will be shared via the Department of Libraries VTLibraries Listserv.
Below is an excerpt from State Librarian and Commissioner Catherine Delneo’s email on 5/8/2025: “As I shared previously, the Department received notice of Vermont’s partial Grants to States Award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on 04/23/25. This partial award notice was issued while IMLS awaited its final apportionment from the Office of Management and Budget. Yesterday evening, 05/07/25, IMLS staff communicated another update via email, saying that while their final apportionment has not yet been issued, “we do plan to issue the remainder of the FY 2025 awards to states, which will bring them to levels similar to last year’s allotments. We hope to make the supplemental awards this month and will provide the FY 2025 allotment table at that time.””
“This is a positive outcome as the Grants to States award from IMLS comprises 1/3 of the Department’s total budget and is essential to the services the Department provides statewide. The Department is hopeful that it will ultimately receive the full expected Grants to States allotment from IMLS in an amount will be similar to Vermont’s total 2024 Grants to States allotment of $1.24M. We will provide another update at the point when we receive a full award notice from IMLS.”

5. Scott Lovelette from UVM Howe Library asks about the courier service and if there is a way to track missing items.:

Karalyn is working on improving this process. When folks report missing items on the courier listserv, Karalyn follows up with Priority Express to check their warehouse. Each month, Karalyn compiles a monthly “missorts report” and shares this with Priority, who reviews this report and looks for areas of improvement.
The monthly courier statistics form has a field for reporting missorted items. Information from the monthly stats forms and courier listserv emails are compiled for the monthly missorts report.

6. Jenny from McCullough asks about the best practices for noting a book in Clover that has been damaged, but the loan has been resolved with the lending or borrowing library.:

At the Department of Libraries, we’ll keep these requests the Lost folder and include a Lender’s Note about the payment or resolution details.

Kat shared: “We usually keep requests "active" in billed or shipped status until it's either paid or replaced - then we'll finish the request.”

Annual review and updates to the ILL Best Practices document:

Karalyn read through the ILL Best Practices and displayed the document via screen sharing in Teams.
We may consider adding checking the Borrowers and Lenders Notes in Clover requests to the Best Practices document. This will be revisited in the August meeting.
Kat shared a reminder to please update your library’s ILL contact email in your Clover participant record if it changes.
Video Tutorial: Review and Update Your Participant Record

Best Practices Follow-Up and Discussion about Return Labels:

Betsy from Bradford Public Library shared that at past ILL Round Tables, there have been concerns raised about putting the return label in the same pocket behind the label. Sometimes, labels fall out of the pockets, and then you have two labels that the Courier needs to figure out, and that can be challenging. It was previously agreed that the label should go inside the book, either inside the plastic of the front cover, or tucked in with a bookmark.
Noreen from Essex noted that if labels are upside down in the pocket, people seem to take them out. A reminder to you look in the book for the return label. She has been getting them back.
Kat from Middlebury shared, “We keep an old rolodex/card box of courier labels for reuse.”

Betsy from Bradford shared, “I store labels in an old Rolodex box, I take labels out of pockets and store the bags in a drawer. I keep paperwork in a folder. We have basically no storage space.”

Alice from VSU Johnson shared, “We still have a print out of any borrowed books and attach the return label to the printout with the due date, patron info.”

Wendy from BMNL, Tammy from Springfield, and Jean from Vernon also do this.

Skye from Rockingham asked: How do you keep the envelope connected to the item that then circulates and then goes back?

Georgia Public Library has stacks of different colored envelopes and file boxes that are alphabetized with little tags for each of the libraries (they’re part of the Catamount consortium). They have one file box for Catamount and another for Clover. They do not put the labels inside the books, but rather put them backwards.

Michelle from Fletcher Memorial follows a similar workflow to Georgia. They use book straps for all of our outgoing ILLs (ideally left on the book when returned).

Kat at Middlebury also uses book straps.

Alice from VSU asked: “When you mark an item returned in Clover don't you then have the option to print out a return label?”

Yes, a USPS label.

Wendy from BNML asks: “Can we remind people why we suggest a 45-day return?”

Wendy shares that it may take 2-3 weeks to receive an ILL.

This is due to shipping times (USPS or courier), and the courier delivery times vary based on the number of stops libraries have each week.

Alice at VSU sends ILLs for 60 days.

Kat shares that courier delivery times are “even longer for a library that satellites off a larger location,” and “Two deliveries a week does make things go significantly quicker. (We go up to twice a week during the summers.)”

Georgia Public Library: “We get books we order within 1 week. We have courier stops T/Th.”

Skye at Rockingham: “We have been getting books quite quickly (less than 2 weeks generally) and we have 2 day/ week delivery (T and Th)”

Michelle shared: “We added a second stop and it did make us receive books quicker however our second stop is very light.” Kat agreed.

Skye from Rockingham asks: “Is there a way to automate the 45-day return dates in Clover? Or do we need to manually do it each time?”

Georgia Public: “I believe the default set by the Catamount Consortium is 3 weeks. We write the DD at 1 mo from date shipped. If folks need a renewal, we are happy to do that if there are no holds for the item. To the best of my knowledge, even if we adjusted the DD in CLOVER, it will default within KOHA to 3 weeks.”

Wendy at BNML: “We change the due date in Koha to match the date in Clover.”
- You can find a how-to guide here for matching due dates in Clover with an ILS. (Please feel free to add tutorials for Koha, Follett, or LibraryWorld if you have one!)

This setting may be updated in the Clover Participant Record. To view policies and make changes, click on “Lending Policy” at the top of the Participant Record.

Kat from Middlebury shared an enhancement idea: “As a cool future upgrade, it'd be nice if the clover-generated bands could have a note indicating if the book is headed to a courier library or a mail library.”

Betsy from Bradford asks: “Where do we find the OCLC number?”

This is an 8-digit number located on the ILL paperwork.

In Clover requests, this is recorded in the Lender’s Notes.

Kat shared: “The top of Midd College paperwork will list two numbers with scannable barcodes - the top is Transaction number, the one right below is the OCLC request number you're looking for.”

Betsy reminds everyone to please check the Borrowers Notes in Clover requests.

This is a helpful place to make notes on book clubs, requested due dates, books needed ASAP, etc.

Continued Discussion about Book Straps:

Alice at VSU: “We really appreciate getting the book strap with the scannable Clover number back with the book. It helps to update the returns. As a workflow, putting the books trap on what's being sent helps me to keep from mixing up the shipments.”
Kat: Those book straps are also super helpful for troubleshooting, especially now that the barcode search is so all-inclusive. And you're welcome to tape your book strap to ours. We don't mind at all. Our general policy is to add our own paperwork on arrival and then remove it before returning. That makes it easy to pull the patron info off. And when we get wayward shipments, those bookstraps make things SO much easier in terms of troubleshooting.
Skye from Rockingham: “Bookstrap placement question: Is it equivalent to put the bookstrap inside the book or do people prefer it to be attached/strapped onto the book?”
Kat: “Midd bands it to the front. RML bands it to the back.”
Tenzin from Fletcher Free: “We put the book straps that we received inside the book and then slap ours on the book”
Michelle from Fletcher Memorial: “We use our KOHA rules for lending (3 week) when the Ill gets to us so the patron receives a receipt and it is on their record with the due date. They have been great with it.”
Betsy from Bradford: “I agree that the book strap helps me keep things straight and are helpful if/when there's a mix-up. I am the only person in our library who processes ILL and I don't have time to do incoming book straps, only outgoing straps as a lender. When a book comes in for a patron, I add a sticky note with their name and due date. I then take it off before returning.”
Kat: “At the college we use book straps as pick-up slips. I haven't tried to do that through clover, but I think it is possible to print the bands without fully shipping the item??”
Tammy: “Springfield uses book straps for books received only”

Wendy from BMNL asks: When you receive a book strap, there's a due date that's printed on it, coming from the lending library. Would that also be your borrowing library's due date and the patron's due date? Different libraries’ book straps have different due dates, for example, the date on an ILL book strap is the date it is due back to the lending library. How should we reflect the date the patron needs to have the book back to the borrowing library? Can we agree to either put their library’s book straps on the book when they receive them, or everybody puts a book strap on when they send them?

The Round Table is working towards a goal of landing on a recommended best practice for book straps and lending periods. This discussion will continue at future Round Table meetings.

Revision: Shared by Marie from Warren Public Library via ILL List on 5/27/25, "The Vermont ILL code defines the due date as follows:

"The due date is defined as the date the material is due to be checked-in at the borrowing library for return to the supplying library."

In other words - I send you one of my library's books. The due date I enter into Clover and that prints on the Clover bookstrap is the date that your patron has to return my book to your library for packaging up to be sent back to my library. The date that it needs to be back to my library isn't defined and I imagine it would be hard to do so given the unknowns for courier and USPS timing.

So while the suggestion "In the meantime, it may be a good idea to add a week or perhaps 10 days before the due date in Clover to ensure you’ll have enough time for routing to the lending library" is well-meaning, that isn't what our currently-agreed upon ILL code states."

Questions from VTLIB:

When receiving a request to lend an item, are folks experiencing call numbers in Clover requests displaying incorrectly? Are the call numbers for a requested item in Clover matching the call number for that item in your ILS?

I received a report of an incorrect call number in Clover from one library and am curious to hear of other instances as I compile information for an Autographics support ticket.
Alice at VSU: “We have had a couple that came through without a call number but were able to then add it to the request”
If you come across an incorrect call number in a Clover lending request, please email me at karalyn.mark@vermont.gov

Tutorial of new “Borrower Requests” and “Lender Requests” (see video recording 59:00 mark)

Autographics Update Review Feedback Request: What are folks' experiences with the new Borrower Requests and Lender Requests functions in ILL Admin?

“Other improvements include the replacement of the “Borrower – Title Browse,” Borrower – Patron Browse,” and “Lender – Title Browse” with new “Borrower Requests” and “Lender Requests” functions. The release notes provide details on new fields (columns) that are now available for display, search, and sorting.”
“In general, the functionality remains the same in that “Borrower Requests” will provide a list of all active borrower requests and “Lender Requests" will provide a list of all active lender requests in the library’s Request Manager, and using the new functions should be straightforward.”
“One big benefit is that the updated table allows for searching by any term in the field and is not restricted to the first, left-most characters in the field (for example, you can search for “toad” in the Title field to find “Frog and Toad.”
“The ability to update requests from "Borrower Requests” and “Lender Requests” will be in a future release.”

Ideas shared in Recent Courier Statistics Forms:

“Would love to see all libraries include a return label in with the book they send or underneath the courier label on pocket of the bag. Some libraries consistently do not send one and it stops the work flow to find a label and attach with paperwork. It seems a small gesture, but can go far when a large delivery comes in and we are trying to get things done.”
“I say it a lot, but it would be great if all libraries could send out a label for their stop when they send books.”

Reviewing “Clover Reminders” Email (3/21/25 - 3/24/25) shared on ILL Listserv (text pasted below):

“Overdue ILL Items:

Please check in on Clover overdues for your library's borrowing requests. We are working on reducing a backlog of overdues from non-Clover libraries and out-of-state libraries, and your support is greatly appreciated!

For out-of-state items and items from non-Clover libraries that recently became overdue, please request a renewal in Clover. Any older overdue items may be returned directly to the lending library.

Receiving Out-of-State & Non-Clover Library ILLs:

When you receive an ILL item from an out-of-state library, please mark the item as Received in Clover. As workflows permit, when possible, please also email lib.rls@vermont.gov with a note including the OCLC request number.

The OCLC request number may be copied from the Clover Request Record in the Lender’s Notes.

For example, you may send a brief email with Subject line “Received OCLC [Number] and leave the body of the email message blank.
This helps VTLIB update OCLC records and informs out-of-state lending libraries that the Vermont borrowing library has received them, as Clover and OCLC do not communicate.

Receiving All ILLs:

For all Clover requests, please mark the item as Received in Clover as soon as possible after it arrives at your library.

We kindly request that libraries not wait until materials are being shipped to return to complete this step in Clover.”

Notes from Kat Cyr:

"If helpful, OCLC numbers are currently 8 digits long. Clover request numbers are only 6 digits at the moment, so that’s an easy way to distinguish them.

(Sometimes there’s also something called a Transaction Number or TN. Feel free to ignore that number altogether.)

MOST ILL providers will give you a barcode that you can use your usual check-out scanners to read. Simply put your cursor where you want the numbers to go and scan the barcode with your scanner of choice. Barcode readers/wands should automatically type that barcode for you. There might be an extra return/enter at the end, but I think it’s easier to backspace once than to type all 8 digits by hand?

Also, to make things quicker, consider making a template email (here’s how in gmail) so all you have to do is pull up the template, scan the barcode, and send it on to Karalyn.

Fun fact of the day: Middlebury College mostly does things directly from Clover, but sometimes does use the OCLC numbers even on Clover requests. To save you the boring details, if you see VTLIB in our ILL# field, you’re good to process as normal. If it’s just a string of numbers there, please consider emailing Karalyn to make things easier on her."