Getting Them What They Want
At the beginning of February the NOBLE network staff held a meeting on holds. Information on the holds process was reviewed with circulation and reference staff. The lifecycle of a hold was outlined starting with a patron or staff placing a hold and culminating with a checkout to the patron.
The meeting focused on holds within the NOBLE network but it also encompassed a broader idea of service. The larger idea is ultimately getting the patron what they want utilizing all available methods. The lifecycle of a hold doesn't stop when a hold isn't filled in the local system. When holds are identified as unfilled, library staff has the option of sending the request on to the Virtual Catalog. Library staff can also do point-to-point requests. From there the request is filled or again comes back unfilled. This is still not the end of the cycle. The next step is to submit the request to a Regional ILL Center.
There are many ways to get patrons what they want. The NOBLE meeting encouraged Reference and Circulation staff to work together to identify ways to keep requests active until all avenues are explored.
The Regional ILL centers are located in Andover at Memorial Hall Library, www.mhl.org/region/ill/ or at the NOBLE network in Danvers, www.noblenet.org/ill/
Some terms:
Point-to-Point Request - A request that your library sends directly to another Massachusetts library.
Virtual Catalog - A request placed in the Virtual Catalog will go to any participating library that has the material available. Requests are cancelled after 30 days if not filled. A bibliographic match is done by ISBN.
ILL Center Request - The Regional ILL Center provides interlibrary loan service to Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System members. Requests sent to the ILL Center will be filled by whatever means is necessary to obtain the material, including point-to-point requests, virtual catalog requests, and OCLC requests.
