ILL tips

Here are some reminders about Interlibrary Loan.

What can we request
Only books and articles from newspapers/magazines, and sometimes microfilm.

What we cannot request
Media items, books published within the last 12 months, and textbooks. If a patron requests something that sounds academic, ask whether it's for a class. Most academic libraries won't lend textbooks, and because it can take several weeks for an ILL to come in, it's really not suitable for class use.

How long will it take?
This is difficult to estimate, but it won't be less than a week or two, and it normally takes much longer. Please do not tell people we can get an item in 1-2 weeks. It can take that long just to process the requests on her end and for the lending library to respond. 2-6 weeks is probably a better estimate.

If someone needs an item quickly and it's available at a local public library (make sure to search that library's catalog to make sure it hasn't been withdrawn since the record was uploaded to WorldCat), the patron would be better off going directly there.

ILL Contact
To place a request for microfilm or articles, email Mary Pena. To place a request for a book, use the catalog Suggest a Purchase page and choose "ILL option."

An active ILL request will have received correspondence via email from staff.  If they haven't received a direct email, the suggest a purchase may not have been reviewed; contact Marybeth or Charles.  If they've been contacted about an active ILL request and still have questions, these calls can be direct to Mary Pena.

Saving files on public computers

How to answer the question: "I saved my document on computer #40. Where is it now?"

Three possibilities:

1. If someone creates a document on our computer, the default save location (where it goes if they click Save without telling it otherwise) is D:\Files. You can get to it from the desktop with the Public Dropbox icon. Sometimes people create other folders in the Public Dropbox in which to save things.
   
   The Public Dropbox is supposed to be erased every night; however, the program that does this automatically may not be working. We have to periodically erase the Dropbox manually. So a patron might find their document again if they come back the next day, but they can't count on it.
   
   


2. If someone opens an attachment from an email, it is saved in the Temp folder. The Temp folder is on the C: drive, which means we have no access to it. When patrons open email attachments, they should immediately save them to the D: drive (Public's Documents) so that they can access them again.
   
   The only way to access the Temp folder is to log in with an administrator's password. This means calling Jeff or Ron. If it's during business hours, they should be able to access the computer remotely and search for the file. Call Jeff or Ron, tell them which computer it is, and make sure no one's using that computer.
   
   


3. If the patron saved their document to the desktop, and then the computer was restarted, the document was probably erased. Changes to the desktop are supposed to be erased when the computer reboots. If a patron might need their document after a restart, it should be saved to the Public Dropbox instead.