WMS Procedures Manual: ILL - Full Overview as One Page

Expanded view

YouTube version

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is an item our library does not own but has borrowed from another library on behalf of our patrons. We also lend our books to other libraries. ILL is done a bit differently at every library, but this is how we do it here:  

Staff will mainly encounter an ILL item when they need to check one out to a patron (like a typical library book) or an ILL item has been returned from a patron. Most of the time, the ILL will look like this: 

When ILL comes via inter-campus mail: When the ILL arrives from the Access Services/ILL Office (from the Northeast Campus), scan it using the barcode at the TOP into the "Check In" area of Circulation and the system will tell you to either place it on the hold shelf or route somewhere else (perhaps sent to the wrong campus on accident!). This will also trigger the notification for the patron that the item is ready to be picked up, just like a typical hold (so, the notificaiton is coming from the circulation side of the sytem, not the ILL side). If you are at the Northeast Campus, the ILL librarian will either handle this part and put the ILL on the hold shelf or hand an ILL to you to scan in and put on the hold shelf. 

Checking out an ILL to a patron: Check out the ILL item to a patron just like you would a TCC Library book, but using the the barcode at the TOP of our book strap. ILL items ready for pickup should be on the hold shelf at your campus. The patrons will have gotten an email about them being ready just like they do for TCC items (the notiication is coming from the circulation side of the system, not the ILL side). After pulling up their account/profile, the circulation system should match the due date that is on the book strap. If it doesn't, change it manually in WMS Circulation to what it says on the book strap unless it falls on a weekend or holiday break (and let the patron know that is why you or the system rounded up their due date or why you cannot extend to the full amount of days). 

TO CHANGE THE DATE: In their WMS account, select (checkmark) the item in their checkouts list>select button "Change due date">select calendar icon in the popup that appears>choose date that matches the strap>select "select">select "OK" in the popup. 

Library employees should extend the due date in the circulation system so that all notifications and other messaging coming from the Access Services Office match what the library user is being told. Other ILL messaging states the ILL item must be returned in-person during operating hours, regardless of the book strap due date/what day of the week the due date falls on. Give the patron their item and, if you can, make a note of their T# and/or the ILL number and the due date the system was saying before you had to change it and let the ILL Librarian know (whenever you have a chance) that the circ due date isn't matching with the book strap. This sometimes happens if the supplying/lending library grants a long amount of time with the item (perhaps months) and our system can't think that far ahead or there is a glitch (example: the circulation system might also attempt to override any due dates longer than our own circulation policies and reset to TCC Library item defaults, beyond weekend and holidays set in the circulation calendar. These defaults must also be ignored if the supplying library has granted more time with the ILL item than we typically allow with our own items). The ILL Librarian will investigate and keep track of these issues! There is an FAQ to help you remember that the book strap lists the correct due date. 

When ILL mail comes via postal mail (USPS, UPS, etc.): This is mainly for NEC staff. All incoming ILLs from other non-TCC libraries are shipped via postal mail to the NEC ACS Office and picked up by NEC library staff for the Access Services Office (AS) to process. The AS Office is where they are marked received in our interlibrary loan system, book straps put on, etc., before sending to the patron's pickup location/campus via inter-campus mail. The ILL Librarians have an extra tab in WMS that says "Interlibrary Loan." You might hear the librarians refer to "Tipasa" or "WorldShare ILL" and those all have to do with systems handling interlibrary loan. 

IMPORTANT: WS ILL (or sometimes WS-ILL) is a branch location in WMS that only Access Services staff should be using. It does NOT stand for the West campus library. It stands for "WorldShare ILL." Staff WMS locations should match the campus location where they work. Check with your CTL if you have questions about where to ship something or concerns about your WMS branch location.

When patrons return their ILL items: When a patron returns the ILL item, check it in like any other library item and it will tell you to ship back to a WS-ILL location, which means send it back to the Northeast Campus. You can stick a yellow book strap in the book and then place in a NEC bin or blue bag for intercampus mail. Or, using a department mailer is fine too to distinguish it from other items. This is important if the book strap has been removed. Otherwise, if the strap is still on the book, it is not a big deal if you are out of yellow straps, as the system will tell any unsure staff where an item is going upon scanning it in/checking it in. 

ILL book returned without a book strap? No worries! It sometimes happens. Patrons sometimes remove or lose the strap, thus taking off the barcode we use to check in the item. They aren't supposed to (the strap itself says not to), but if they do here is the procedure. First, recover the barcode. You can recover the barcode number 3 different ways:

1) if they return it in person, ask them for their T# and you can copy and paste the ILL barcode number checked out to their account into the "Check In" field in Circulation 

2) search in "Discover Items" for the title of the book (using Temporary Items as the Data Type) and then find the barcode that way (click on the result to see who it is checked out to, if anyone, and the barcode in the temporary record for it; all ILLs are temporary items): 

3) If you're having trouble finding it through one of the above, contact Amanda or someone else in the Access Services (AS) Office and they can tell you the barcode.

It is important to "check in" the item so that the system will show the item as "in-transit" back to the AS Office and so that the item will no longer be checked out to the patron. However, it could also be that it was not an ILL item, just a library book from another system returned to the wrong place! It happens a lot with TCCL books. The AS Office can verify for you if that's the case and can send it to the correct library as well. Just put in a yellow ILL flag and send to the NE campus or use an intercampus envelope to help distinguish it apart from TCC books.

DO NOT PLACE AN ILL REQUEST FOR A PATRON UNDER YOUR ACCOUNT. This can lead to errors, notifications going to the wrong person, etc. A patron must place an ILL request on their own account. Meaning, you should walk them through the steps on how to do it on their own. 

See this FAQ on how to place an ILL request. 

It's important you are able to help answer basic ILL questions from patrons. This means you should know how to place an ILL request and some of the aspects of ILL as well. See the next box below this one on how best to place an ILL request. Note that as a staff member you are able to place ILL request absolutely free too!

If patrons have questions, it is good for you to direct them to these places: 

1) The Interlibrary Loan Link on the Library Homepage is our public-facing information page. You can send this as a link over chat, email, or point it out when helping a patron in-person:

2) The library FAQ has a lot of answers to questions about ILL. Link to these answers in virtual reference and/or direct patrons to the FAQ. How to renew, how to place copy request for only a chapter of book, why requests are cancelled, and more are answered there! 

3) Familiarize yourself with our Library Policy. The Policy is the basis for many ILL decisions and ILL is mentioned there. Find the Policy off the library homepage link for "Mission & Guidelines." 

4) Direct your questions to the ILL Librarian, Amanda Ross, or direct patrons to speak directly with her via chat, email, phone, or in-person. Marianne Myers is Amanda's backup in ILL if she is out, if she cannot be reached, or if there is an emergency. Lisa Haldeman, the NEC Library director, is tertiary backup if they are out. 

5) If a patron is saying they recieved a pickup notification for an ILL item or a notification that their copy (scan) request is available for download but their ILL isn't on the hold shelf or they aren't able to access, ask them to pull up the email that told them so. Often times, patrons confuse confirmation emails with pickup emails or they did not read an entire email on how to access something. Before getting any ILL librarian invovlved, be sure the patron didn't misunderstand an email first. Sometimes it is as simple as showing them the correct link in an email, or pointing out they chose a different pickup location than they intended (we can have the material routed, at that point - just let an ILL librarian know). 

IMPORTANT: Never renew an ILL for a patron in WMS Circulation. They have to request through their library portal themselves. Though WMS may allow you to generate a renewal, the lending library will not have granted it and the patron will get conflicting messaging from the ILL system.

Patrons get an automatic system email before the ILL is due explaining how to properly renew. The new due date will be given in an email if the renewal is granted and the AS Office will sync the date manually in Circulation. While the ILL and Circulation systems in WMS do work well together, there are a few manual 

See this FAQ for more. 

This is mainly applicable to CTLs and specific contacts at your campus.

In addition to getting books from other libraries for our patrons, we send our own TCC books to other libraries for theirs! Sometimes, an ILL librarian will reach out to you via email with information about a book that needs to be sent or material that needs to be scanned in as a pdf. You will need to know how to use the scanning features on our printers if a copy request is needed, as well as how to find articles in specific print journals. 

If it is a book or item on the shelf that just needs to be sent, these are the steps: 

1. confirm that you have pulled the item with the ILL librarian (reply via email) 2. put a yellow flag in the book and check out to the ILL "dummy" account (search ILL as a "name" or use 777110346 as the barcode (name is easier to remember, though!).  3. send to the NEC campus library through inter-office mail. 

In rarer occasions, sometimes a patron will request material that cannot leave the library, much like a reserve textbook. However, we do not check out the material to the patron's account. Rather, we use the in-house reporting tool in Circulation. See previous tabs for how to use this (coming soon). However, unlike reserves, faculty status does not eclipse this restriction (ie, faculty cannot take in-library use only materials out). 

These special ILL materials will have a flap on the book strap with information for the patron AND staff on what to do when you encournter one.

These materials could be in-library use only for a number of reasons, such as the supplying library wanting them to remain in our care, the material is expensive to replace and we would be liable if it was damaged or went missing, or it is fragile material. 

Unlike with TCC Library materials, there is no amount threshold that must be crossed to report fines to the bursar. 

If a patron is overdue or has lost their material and the ILL librarians have put charges on their library account, they will show up as 2 charges for the same item. One will be either the full or estimated cost of the material, the other will be the $30 processing charge. Sometimes estimates are placed on the account but not reported to the bursar until our library has been charged with the exact amount. Patrons can also see this charge on their library account, so it will get their attention.

You can sometimes see the reasons for charges by clicking into the details page of a bill item: 

If the charges have been reported to the bursar, then there is usually a popup note saying so from the ILL librarians. If overdue ILL material has been returned to you and you are aware of the charges or have questions about the charges, please contact the Access Services Office (918-595-7568). They will remove the charges or give you the clear to do so. They will be the ones to contact the bursar to lift any transcript holds if one has been placed.

The charges on a patron account will look like this: 

Overdue messages are sent manually through the Tipasa/ILL end of the system, not through circulation. See FAQ for more information. Messaging on the back of the book strap (as of 2023) says this and it goes out with every ILL item (this was made in Publisher and is printed without the lines):