Best Practices Document/Borrower notes
It was agreed that the 45 day minimum for interlibrary loan periods is still a good suggestion and does not need to be adjusted at this time. A request to not put stickers or tape on books owned by other libraries will be added, as even removable labels leave residue. The group decided that adding a specific wait period before requesting new items was unnecessary and libraries can decide on a case-by-case basis if they can send a new item. Libraries that do not want to lend new items at all can contact April to see if the z39.50 connection for their library allows a policy set in Clover to not receive requests for new items. It was also decided to not add a reminder about checking request notes (the blue pushpin in Clover shows which ones have notes). Libraries should be checking notes, but it should also be used by borrowers to impart important information such as long due date terms. If a courier library would like their request to only go to courier libraries, they should use the blocked lender list to limit their request to only courier libraries rather than writing that in the notes.
Information to include with ILLs
There was a discussion about the most valuable information to include when sending an ILL, and the consensus was to include the due date, your return label, and the request number if possible. All of this information is available on the bookstraps within clover, though these are not required for libraries to use. April will send out an email with more information about bookstraps in Clover and how to print, as well as information on printing out requests and other information about the requests to send with loans.
Discussion about restricting libraries with large fines or several overdues
Libraries shared what they have been doing if items are very overdue, or if a library has incurred large fines by having items updated as lost. Most libraries have been dealing with this on a case-by-case basis and contacting borrowing libraries as this comes up. Librarians have been reaching out via email and phone, so if you do have a message from a fellow librarian, please respond! So far nobody has been restricted as borrowers, and everyone is working together to navigate the pandemic/restarting ILL time period.
Reminders during the meeting
- Please use protective padding when returning AV items via USPS and courier – especially if it arrived in protective padding.
- You can request tracking numbers from USPS online for free for library mail. It can be helpful to scan the tracking code right into the lender notes in a Clover request.
- Please make sure you have contact information set up in your participant record. April will send out a reminder to specific groups.
- There are Clover tutorials available here, and April will be adding more: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDaAjYA9bth0XC1rhegrhpLo3nu4eVkFU
August Meeting Topic:
Please send any trivia, fun facts, ILL quiz questions to April! She is going to put together a trivia game for what she is now calling our “ILL party.”
Project follow up:
A project that is still on the to-do list is to create a document that will show how to make sure that matching due dates. April will be creating this document with the information that I have and also sending out an email requesting libraries with different systems send any information to add.
The Recording of the February 12, 2020 Interlibrary Loan Round Table Meeting is available here.