Submitted by Marilyn Graves, Regional ILL Librarian, NOBLE, Danvers

Getting the Most for your Patrons:
Filling requests that don't qualify to be sent to your ILL Center

Now that a few months have passed since the new Regional ILL policies have been in place, it's a good time to take stock of the results. In general, we are having good success getting materials for patrons without a lending charge to the library or patron. Many libraries are covering the cost of return shipping or asking the patron to pay.

Regional ILL Centers Memorial Hall Library (Andover) Phone: 978-623-8401 x15 Fax: 978-623-8406 E-mail: region@mhl.org http://www.mhl.org/ill NOBLE (Danvers) Phone: 978-777-8844 Fax: 978-750-8472 E-mail: noble_ill_center@noblenet.org http://www.noblenet.org/ill

What can a library do though if a patron wants something that cannot be sent to the ILL Center? It seems that the biggest problem for libraries is filling requests for videos and DVD's.

Libraries have some options:

Using the Virtual Catalog at http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us/catalogs/vc.shtml or local catalogs, items may be searched and point to point requests made to the holding library.

Use WorldCat at http://www.nmrls.org/reference/dbases.shtml to verify requests and find holders. WorldCat will identify holders in and outside of the state. When an item is found a list of holding libraries can be displayed. Using a Google search or the American Library Directory, mail, fax or email addresses of libraries can be located. An ALA, fax or email request may be made to any library. ALA has a request form online at http://www.ala.org/rusa/stnd_illformprint.html. It is best to contact the library to see how they would like the request made.

We have also found MASSCAT at http://www.nmrls.org/masscat/ useful to fill some requests, especially for videos. Also to locate videos don't forget the Boston Public Library Audio-Visual Services and the CMRLS AV Center Media Catalog at http://www.nmrls.org/av.

If a request cannot be sent to an ILL Center, the ILL Librarians are willing and able to help locate an item to help a library send their own request. Please call us with your questions.