ILLiad Web Circulation (WebCirc) is a web view of basic ILLiad functionality that can be accessed by staff users. In WebCirc, staff users can check items out, check items in, renew items, and mark items as received or returned. WebCirc allows you to perform these basic ILLiad functions on a workstation that does not have the ILLiad Client installed. This article will provide a detailed overview of the different processing options available to staff users on the WebCirc interface.
Main Menu
The main menu sidebar contains the following options:
- Home: Clicking this option returns the staff user to the WebCirc homepage
- Change Site (<Site Name>): Allows the staff user to change the site for which to process transactions. This option will only appear if multiple sites have been configured in ILLiad
- Change Password: Allows the currently logged-in staff user to change the password for their account
- Logoff <username>: Logs the currently logged-in staff user out of the WebCirc interface
Quick Tasks
The Quick Tasks menu allows staff users to quickly process an individual item when the ILLiad transaction number associated with the item is known. This menu contains processing options that can be used to check items out, check items in, renew items, and mark items as received or returned.
Configuring Quick Tasks Options
Some quick task options described below may be missing from the Quick Tasks menu depending on your institution's WebCirc configuration settings. You can configure which quick task options display in the menu using the WebCirc customization keys in the ILLiad Customization Manager. For more information, see Configuring WebCirc.
Using a Quick Task Option
To use one of the quick task options displayed in the Quick Tasks menu:
- Enter the transaction number into the box next to the name of the function you want to perform: Mark Received, Check Out, Mark Returned, Check In, or Renew
- A barcode scanner can also be used to enter the transaction number, if available
- Click the button next to the box in which you entered the transaction number
- An alert will display at the top of the page indicating if the item was processed successfully or not
Mark Received
The Mark Received processing option should be used when the item has been retrieved by library staff and is ready for pickup by the patron. This option will move items from the In Transit to Pickup Location status to Awaiting Customer Contact, which will automatically notify the patron via email that the item is available. Once the notification has been sent, the item will then be automatically moved to the Customer Notified via E-Mail status.
Check Out
The Check Out processing option should be used when the item has been checked out to the patron. Checking out an item will change the transaction status of the item to Checked Out to Customer. The Check Out option is only available for items in the Awaiting Customer Contact, Customer Notified via E-Mail, In Transit to Pickup Location, or Customer Notified via Phone status.
Additional Workflow Notes
Typically, this option is used after the item has been received by library staff and the patron has been notified that the item is available for pickup. However, the range of statuses for which this option is available means that the Check Out option can be used whether or not the patron has been notified that the item is available, allowing for more flexible workflow options. Additionally, as the Check Out option is available for items in the In Transit to Pickup Location status, this option can also be used to skip the Mark Received step in the item processing workflow, if preferred.
Mark Returned
The Mark Returned processing option is used to indicate that the item has been sent back for processing by library staff. Marking an item as returned will change the transaction status of the item to In Transit from Customer. This option is only available for items in the Checked Out to Customer, Customer Notified via E-mail, Renewal Requested or Renewed by Customer to xx/xx/xxxx status.
Additional Workflow Notes
Typically, this option is used after the patron has returned a checked-out item to library staff, however, the range of statuses for which this option is available means that the Mark Returned option can be used even in the case when the patron has not yet picked up the item. This option can also be used as an intermediary step before the Check In process to indicate that the item has been returned to staff for processing, but that it is not yet ready to have the return label printed (for example, in the case that the item must first be sent to a central processing location at your institution before it can be mailed back to the lender).
Check In
The Check In processing option should be used when a checked-out item has been returned by the patron to library staff and is ready for return label printing. Checking in an item will change the transaction status of the item to Awaiting Return Label Printing and will update the OCLC status of the request in WorldShare ILL to Returned. This option is only available for items in the Checked Out to Customer, Renewal Requested, In Transit from Customer, Loans Recalled From Patrons statuses, and for statuses beginning with Renewed by Customer.
Additional Workflow Notes
The range of statuses for which this option is available means that this option can be used to skip the Mark Returned step in the item processing workflow, if preferred. For example, skipping the Mark Returned step can be useful for institutions with multiple processing locations that do not need to send the item back to a central processing location for shipping, or for institutions with only one processing location.
Renew
The Renew processing option should be used when a renewal has been requested and/or granted for the item. The Renew process in WebCirc is very similar to the process that takes place when a user requests a renewal themselves on the ILLiad web pages:
- If the AutomaticRenewals customization key is set to No in the ILLiad Customization Manager, the transaction status will be changed to Renewal Requested
- If the AutomaticRenewals customization key is set to Yes, and if renewals are allowed on the item and the renewal period is valid (defined by the settings configured in the RenewalWindowDays and RenewalBeforeWindowDays customization keys), the item will be renewed and the transaction status will be changed to Renewed by Customer to xx/xx/xxxx with the new due date
Searching and Bulk Processing Tabs
The following searching and bulk processing tabs will appear to the right of the Main and Quick Tasks menus in the WebCirc interface:
- Requests: Allows the staff user to search for a request in the ILLiad system. See Searching in WebCirc for more information on performing the search
- Users: Allows the staff user to search for a user in the ILLiad system. See Searching in WebCirc for more information on performing the search
- In Transit Items Received: Allows the staff user to perform the Mark Received process for multiple transactions in bulk. Each individual transaction number should be entered on a separate line within the ILLiad Transactions text box on the screen. Any text entered in Global Notes section will be added as a note on the ILLiad transaction(s) when the requests are processed
- In Transit Items Returned: Allows the staff user to perform the Mark Returned process for multiple transactions in bulk. Each individual transaction number should be entered on a separate line within the ILLiad Transactions text box. Any text entered in Global Notes will be added as a note on the ILLiad transaction(s) when the requests are processed