requestIT CT - Statewide Interlibrary Loan

The spreadsheet below is limited to libraries that participate in requestIT (note the date on the file). You can use this list to see if a requestIT library will lend a particular format.

The spreadsheet below is limited to libraries that do not participate in requestIT (note the date on the file). You can use this list if one of your borrowing requests is unfilled in requestIT. 

The spreadsheet below contains the full list and includes all libraries that wish to be included in on the policy 

Initiating a request

To initiate or place an ILL request, you must login to FulfILLment as a staff member and then open the findIT CT catalog. You can search for an item in the catalog and click "Request ILL" and then "Submit" to place the request. As soon as you get the message "Hold was successfully placed," the request is pending at a lending/supplying library. You must keep track of patrons and what they request using another system, such as paper, Excel spreadsheet, etc. so that when the item arrives, you know which patron requested the item.

If you need multiple copies of a title, you can place multiple holds from the master record or meta record, that is the one that has a lot of holding libraries. After you place the first hold and when you try to request a second copy, you’ll see a message that says you already have a hold on one copy. Just below that, you’ll see the following message:
You have permission to override some of the failed holds. Click Submit to override and place your hold on the selected items. 
You may have to scroll down to see that message. Just below that, you’ll see a Submit button. Click Submit and your second request will go through. You can repeat this process for as many copies as you need.

You can 'drill down' and place requests from individual bibliographic records. For those who attended training in 2017, this is what we did in the second half of the class when I had you find and request something that the Middletown Library Service Center owned. You only need to do this if you want to request an item from a specific library - in all other cases it's best to request from the 'meta' record.

Requests that you have successfully placed are in your Pending Requests / Request for My Patrons queue. When a request has been filled, it will disappear from your Pending Requests and move to your Inbound Transits / ILLs For My Patrons queue.

When an item arrives

When a lending/supplying library captures your request and ships it,  the request will move to your Inbound Transits / ILLs For My Patrons queue. When the item arrives, you can update it to "Receive Item," which moves the request to your On Shelf / For My Patrons queue. You can go to that queue and update the request to "Check Out." This will move the request to the Currently Circulating / To My Patrons queue. It will also trigger a due date, which is 35 days from the date the item was updated to Check Out. At this point you can handle the item as you do with any of your other offline or e-mail requests. You can check out the item to your patron in your library's circulation system.

Tip: Once you have the item in hand, to access the request, you can click the "Single Scan" tab in FulfILLment and scan the item's barcode. For example if you receive a requested item, you can use Single Scan, scan the item's barcode, and can click the "Capture Incoming ILL" button. If the Single Scan doesn't call up the request, then you can find the request in its queue.

Returning an item

When the patron is done with the item and you can return it. You can use the Single Scan feature and scan the item's barcode to access the request or you will find the request in the Currently Circulating / To My Patrons queue and you can update it to "Check In." This will move the request to your Outbound Transits / Returns to Other Libraries and it will put the request in Inbound Transits / My Returns for the lending/supplying library. Don't forget to 'check in' the item in your library's ILS.

Bibliomation - Library network or consortium in Connecticut. Partnering with the Connecticut State Library to develop findIT CT and requestIT CT. Bibliomation uses Evergreen software for their ILS. 

Connectors - Provide automation in FulfILLment that allows findIT and requestIT to interoperate with your library's ILS. Connectors  automate some ILL processes and may be used to keep your library's holdings in findIT up to date.

DLD - Division of Library Development; part of the Connecticut State Library

Equinox - The company that developed and supports FulfILLment and Evergreen.

Evergreen - Open source ILS, used by Bibliomation in Connecticut.

findIT CT - Connecticut's statewide library catalog using FulfILLment.

FulfILLment - An open source ILL system developed by Equinox; findIT CT and requestIT CT are both powered by FulfILLment. 

ILS - Integrated Library System.

requestIT CT - the Interlibrary Loan module in the findIT CT catalog using FulfILLment. 

Automated ILL System -  ILL system with 'connectors' that allow findIT and requestIT to interoperate with a library's ILS

Basic ILL System - Stand-alone ILL system with no connections to a library's ILS.  The Basic ILL system allows staff members to place holds on behalf of patrons and to track those requests. This is what we will be using statewide starting in September 2017.

Activate Request: Used in conjunction with Suspend Request - the borrowing/requesting library can Activate Request which targets and re-sends the request to a supplying library. You use Activate for requests that were previously suspended. (See also Suspend Request)

Cancel Request: The borrowing/requesting library can Cancel Request which removes the request from the FulfILLment system. 

Capture Item: The lending/supplying library can use Capture Item when then can send an item to fill a request. This will move the request to their Outbound Transits / ILLs to Other Libraries.

Check Out: The borrowing/requesting library can Check Out a request that is in their On Shelf / For My Patrons queue. This will move the request to the Currently Circulating / To My Patrons queue. It will also trigger a due date, which is 35 days from the date the item was updated to Check Out. 

Meta Record: A catalog record that groups multiple formats and editions of a title.

On Shelf: The On Shelf queue includes items that are on a library's hold shelf. The On Shelf queue has two sub-queues, one for "For My Patrons" and one for "At Other Libraries." You will only be able to update requests that are On Shelf / For My Patrons. We recommend that you update requests to "Check Out" that are in On Shelf / For My Patrons when you receive the item. 

Receive Item: Use Receive Item in the following two instances:

1. The borrowing/requesting library can Receive Item for requests that are in their Inbound Transits / ILLs for My Patrons and use it when they receive an item to fill an ILL request. The update will move the request to "On Shelf / For My Patrons"
2. The lending/supplying library can use Receive Item for requests that are in their Inbound Transits / My Returns and use it when they get an item back that they had lent to another library. This will complete the ILL cycle and the request will 'disappear' from the system. 

Retarget Request: The lending/supplying library can use Retarget Request when they cannot send an item to fill a request. 

Suspend Request: Used in conjunction with Activate Request - the borrowing/requesting library can Suspend Request which pulls an active request from a supplying/lending library and holds the request in the Pending / Reuqests by My Patrons queue. It does not cancel or remove the request from the system. It’s sort of like a ‘pause’ button. (See also Activate Request)

List of Enhancements

(Monday, April 30): Requesting multiple copies? Use the 'override' feature. 
During requestIT training this past fall, I showed you how to ‘drill down’ and place requests from individual bibliographic records when you needed to request multiple copies. That method still works, but there's an easier way to do it.

You can place multiple holds from the master record or meta record, that is the one that has a lot of holding libraries. After you place the first hold and when you try to request a second copy, you’ll see a message that says you already have a hold on one copy. Just below that, you’ll see the following message:
You have permission to override some of the failed holds. Click Submit to override and place your hold on the selected items. 
You may have to scroll down to see that message. Just below that, you’ll see a Submit button. Click Submit and your second request will go through. You can repeat this process for as many copies as you need.