Searching & Sending Requests: Sending the OCLC Request

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When you are ready to send the request to your selected potential lenders, click the Send Request button at the top of the completed work form. This will send the request to OCLC and import request information into the ILLiad Client, including the ILL Number, OCLC Number, and Lending String, as well as OCLC standardized versions of the Author and Title, into the ILLiad Search Requests form.

Any changes made to the form will prompt a Save Changes? popup to appear. Click Yes to save changes and send the Request. In addition, any changes made to the Lender String will prompt a Confirm Import popup.

Upon importing the OCLC standardized information, the original Author and Title information will be kept in the Original Request Information fields on the Request Form (for example, Original Journal Title) in case it is needed at some later point.

Click on the Request Sent menu to complete the searching and sending process in ILLiad. This will close the Request Form and return you to the Main Menu Page and the Standard Search Ribbon, to let you choose the next request for processing.

Error Handling When Sending a Request to OCLC

Before actually sending the request to OCLC, the ILLiad Client examines both OCLC and the local client memory to determine if sending the open request might potentially create duplicate OCLC requests for the same transaction. This is to prevent the accidental sending of duplicate requests.

The Transaction Record Contains an Active ILL Number

If the transaction record already has an ILL Number value in it when the Send Request button is clicked, the system will search for it in OCLC. If this ILL Number is associated with an active request in OCLC, a message will appear informing you of this. In such a case, the existing ILL record should be deleted before you send another request for the same item.

The Transaction Number is Found in the Local Client Memory

The ILLiad Client keeps a record of the last ten transaction numbers for which requests have been sent to OCLC.

This list is deleted when the ILLiad Client is closed.

If the transaction number of the open transaction is contained in this local client memory when the Send Request button is clicked, a message will appear informing you of this. In such a case, you should determine if an existing ILL record should be deleted before you send another request for the same item.

Additional Information Imported from WorldCat upon Sending

The ILLiad Client downloads the following call number information (if present) from the WorldCat record for all Borrowing requests as they are sent from the ILLiad Client:

  • LC - Library of Congress
  • Dewey
  • NLM - National Library of Medicine
  • NAL - National Agriculture Library
  • Government Documents

These call numbers are displayed in the Request Form in the Bibliographic Information section, on a new tab labeled Additional. This information is imported for statistical and/or Collection Development purposes.

Troubleshooting Changes to the Lending String

As of ILLiad Connection Manager v9.2.2.0, a note will be added to the ILLiad request if the lending string on the ILLiad request is modified when sending the request to OCLC (e.g., in the case that a symbol was removed because the lender is a non-supplier or because the symbol is invalid). The note will state "Original lending string does not match OCLC lending string" and will include detailed information about which lending symbols were modified/removed for troubleshooting purposes.

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