Ask an ILLer: Practical tips and live Q&A for new ILL staff

Question from a community member:

I'm in an academic library, and our ILL borrowing numbers have been pretty low. I know this is partially due to lower enrollment over the past 18 months, but based on a recent library survey I also see that many students seem unaware of ILL. Do you have any advice or tips for marketing ILL? What has worked for you?

Our numbers are also much lower this year when compared to last year. One thing that will generate some requests is sending out a news blast to faculty and reminding them of ILL. This is especially helpful when they are between semesters and may adjust curriculum.

I experience this with the students in my library too! Just explaining "Interlibrary Loan" is a hard concept for students to grasp. I can't wait to  share what works for me throughout the years.  

Question from a Community Member:

1. I am interested in information regarding tips,  materials, resources, processes/methods/practices for packaging books for shipping.  With an eye toward balancing environmentally and budget friendly with functional durability and re-usability.   I currently re-use as much as possible bubble lined paper envelopes and bubble envelops and boxes that I receive. I still have a stock of the paper fiber padded envelopes that I inherited with the job - I try to use these as a last resort when needed since I've discovered how troublesome they are when they tear. Money being tight, I don't want to waste what I have. I've discovered recyclable mailers (I've seen examples used by Amazon, and from Uline, and from Previs EverTec, and was recently able to order some and begin using them. I've only seen a few of them in use from others, so far.   I also recently received an item in a compostable bubble/paper envelope. First time I've seen that. I'd like to know more about how viable an option those are and where to source them. (The envelope lacked identifying info) Preliminary research suggests a shelf life, so that would affect the ordering cycle.

2. Searching tips for (when borrowing) searching for non-returnable journal articles published within the last 10 years from print vs. electronic sources. I gather that a lot of libraries are not able to lend to other libraries from their digital resources due to licensing restrictions. When I seek to borrow such articles, I typically don't really care whether format source is print or digital, since I anticipate that it will arrive as a pdf via Article Exchange. E.g. I am currently looking for an article published in 2023. Most of the libraries that appear to carry that journal, only have electronic access for the last ~10 years, and only have print for the older years, up to around 10 years ago. If I understand correctly, many libraries' electronic journals have licensing limits that prevent sharing with external borrowers. It's looking unlikely to be able to get access if that time period is only available digitally, and most libraries have license restrictions. So, what to do?

3. Point of clarification: some libraries just say Courier for shipping method. Does that generally mean any commercial shipping company other than United States Postal Service? e.g. FedEx, UPS, etc.

#1. I have “0: Unfilled article requests. That’s due to being an Express library. Once groups and paths are set up, you are very likely to get things filled

But there are times when something comes up UnFilled and that’s when I reach out and ask the ILL ListServ. That ListServ community is a great resource of supplying articles that you cant find in other places. People are so willing to share resources and answer questions. I strongly encourage you to use it. But I will tell you if you use it for articles it’s a good practice to type the Journal Title and Date you are looking for in the Subject line. That way libraries can look at a glance and see if they can supply it.

I have a zero budget for mailing supplies. I never had. So you have to get creative. I ask my coworkers in the Acquisition Dept. to save me any boxes that she thinks I can use. I do order shipping envelops from our library bookstore, but they are very inexpensive. I also ask our Shipping and Receiving guys, who deliver my out of state packages, if they can give me boxes. Let everyone know you need boxes. My coworkers will bring in boxes from home and say" Sue, I got a package and thought you could use this box, Do you want it?" heck yes I want it! I also save out withdrawn newspapers as fillers for the boxes. I save shipping envelopes that my returns come back in and use them as fillers. Since we don't have a budget, I haven't really looked into purchasing recyclable mailers, but it sounds interesting. Maybe other libraries can share their experiences with them.

I think sometimes libraries have Courier in their ILL form and they are referring to their local in-state courier service, not the US Post Office. In Illinois, our library is part of the RAILS Delivery Service. We have book bands that we attach to items and put them in purple bags with a label addressed to library. Our delivery driver is here ever morning at around 8 or 8:30 to pick up our items. Our library code is "MVC" and that code is on my ILL form but it is clearly stated that is for Illinois libraries only, not  to cause confusion for out of state libraries. That's why it's important to have all information filled out on the Policy Directory.

Our academic library does not accept a print copy as a replacement for a lost or damaged items.  We also do not have a flat free to books.  Individual library policy plays into this too.  Were there added billing or processing fees added to the bill? Purchases through library vendors (like Baker & Taylor or Follett), which charge higher prices would be one reason that the cost is higher. Example: a patron damages a video and want to replace it by buying a copy at Walmart,  but the library can't accept that copy, because a library needs a video with proper copyright laws and licensing for their use. This isn't easy for a patron to understand and it's understandable that they are upset at the higher cost. The only thing I can think of is to contact the lending library and see if they are willing to waive some of the charges, if they aren't willing,  would your library consider being responsible for payment? Explaining vendor services and licensing laws to a patron isn't something they want to hear , but it all plays a part in the cost of buying a book. It's a hard lesson for a library patron to learn. Maybe others could add more to this conversation..... thoughts are welcome....

This is not uncommon, and when we train new frontline staff we always let them know that fees for lost/damaged ILLs may be surprisingly more than retail cost, and ask them to pass this information on to patrons making ILL requests (as well as "It could take 6 to 8 weeks to get your ILL" and "The lending libraries have their own renewal policies and may not approve due date extensions").

We do charge our patrons whatever we get charged except in cases of catastrophe like a house burning down or something, but I do know that often our patrons don't pay the replacement charge on their accounts and we end up "eating" the cost.

I couldn't remember if our library had anything on our website  about lost or damaged ILLs and who is responsible for payment. Here is what I found:" If an Interlibrary Loan item is lost or damaged patron will be responsible for any charges determined by the lending library". If your library doesn't have a statement on your library website about ILL charges, it might be a good idea to include that information. That way, if it happens again, you can reference the policy on your website.

Yes, we have something very similar on our website. We also note that we don't refund if the patron later finds the book and returns it (once we have already paid the lender). It seems to encourage patrons to look a bit more thoroughly.

Oh... I like that additional info. I will definitely add that to our current policy.

How do you request chapters from eBooks? I see a group of libraries that loan Whole eBooks, Is there a group of libraries that fill chapters of eBooks? I noticed that many people ask on the ILL Listserv requesting libraries to fill their eBook chapter formats?  

We fulfill and request eBook chapters just as we would physical book chapters, or electronic journal articles, through a copy request. We haven't had a problem sending those through Tipasa.

We have something similar to this. In our Policies, we state the patron is responsible for any charges set by the lending library. We also state that on our ILL page on our website. We also have a version of that on the band we wrap around borrowed ILLs. Doing all of that has cut down on the number of patrons upset that they are being charged more than what they see it for on Amazon. When I send an overdue letter I let them know once we receive an invoice, we pay it in 30 days. Once paid, we do not offer refunds and the patron is still responsible for the item even if it's found. We do make exceptions sometimes, like if the patron returns the item and we had just sent it up to our finance or county, we email the lending library to see if they've received payment yet. If not usually they're good about letting us return the item and sending the check back once received.