Experiences with the ALEPH ILL-module

Background

We tried running the module in the 3.2_3 version - but mainly because of the missing [push]-function - only on materials from one supplier.
However, the necessity of having to catalogue the same record twice certainly had a negative influence on attitudes towards the module, and the testing more or less turned out to be a failure.

Experiences concerning the 3.2_4 version

Getting started

Before implementing the module you have to:

• Make the usual, well-known adjustments on forms and screens.
  Please be aware that several ILL-forms include information from the Headings table (UTIL 55).

• Register your suppliers by supplier codes.
  Alternatively You can register suppliers one at a time whenever neccesary. At AUL we choose to register all known suppliers at once in order to make daily routines easier.
  For each supplier you might as well at once define
  • which default form should to be used for printing out requests,
  • and how many printers and gateways you can afford to devote to the ILL-module alone.
  We have chosen three different default-forms. The last two demand dedication of a special printer:
  • 01 - Standard form
  • 02 - IFLA-form
  • 58 - Danish version of the IFLA-form

• Create currency rates file, currency tables and supplier accounts
  At AUL our policy is not to charge fees or expenses from our borrowers concerning Inter Library Loans. The expenses and fees we are charged from our suppliers are handled by us without involving our borrowers. Therefore we have no experiences at all concerning these specific items.

• Decide whether to perform a loan by invoking the [push] - function.
  At AUL we decided to do so in order to keep the administration of individual return-dates away from the circulation-desk. However it is a rather dubious decision. You make the borrower responsible for materials he hasn't yet picked-up.
  In other Danish libraries they perform loans only for some chosen borrower-statuses.

• Make decisions as to who should have access to the ILL-records in the ILL-module as well as the copies in your Local Library.
  At AUL the records created by invoking the [push]-function are placed in a logical base in the Local Library. Only the staff have access to this base. Also all members of the staff have access to the search facilities in the ILL-module, while only the ILL- staff have access to ILL-functions.

• Define copy status and sublibrary-code for the copies.
  We have defined ILL as a sublibrary and 5 different copy statuses. (7 days; 14 days; 21 days; 28 days and Reading Room). As to handling 5 different copy-statuses this seems to be improved in the 3.2_5 version by the possibility of typing the exact return- date in the [push]-function.

Practical experiences

The administrative work in the ILL-department has been eased by not having to keep card-indexes in different drawers and by having the recall administration handled automatically.

The ILL-functions are easy to operate

Of course the searching possibilities are improved, which is a tremendous relief in daily routines.

Each member of the staff can answer a borrower-inquiry concerning the status of his requests.
Unfortunately the ILL-requests are not shown in the borrower holds list.

The borrowers don't have to fill in speciall ILL-request forms, but can merely type name and borrower-id. on source-copies or prints from CD-ROMs and other databases. This also makes it easier for the staff to decipher the requests.

The ILL-module is a young Aleph-module. It has been released with a lot of errors and inefficiencies. The paramount problem is the ILL being an independent Global Library.
The dissatisfaction results mostly from having to operate on the same record in two different modules. For example:

• You have different document numbers to refer to.
• What is to be done in which part of the system with renewals and returns.
• You can't use material- and borrower barcode as identifiers in ILL.
• The coherence between CIRculation and ILL is much too vague.

The perfect solution is total integration. But until then less comprehensive changes can be made to make the module operate better.
I hope that we can discuss and agree on several items concerning this question at the Work-Shop tomorrow.

Import-facilities at AUL

In the on-line order screen you can type your local PATron information. From DanBib you get the bibliographic data, the SUPplier information and the necessary administrative data such as codes for book-loan / journal-loan.

You get a receipt for each order given by E-Mail. The E-Mails contain all necessary information in a coded format (ISO 8459 / ILL01).
By invoking a special ICL-utility these Mails are converted into the Aleph ILL-format and loaded into the ILL-module
This means that by arrival of the material all we have to do is to search, receive and [push] it.

In spite of the fact that this function originates in special Danish conditions and in a perfect cooperation between the two Library Systems you might use it as an inspiration to ask for or develop similar facilities.

I am convinced that facilities for importing data from various external databases will play an important part of the future demands on ILL-systems.

These facilities spare many resources, and the above mentioned function compensates many problems.