New Build–Monday Update
So far, the new build seems to be a success. I’ve toured through the ‘catalog level’ locations this morning, and I’ve found no over-age requests in Fill Loan or Mediate Loan. (Whew!!)
So, let’s quickly review last week’s changes and then move on.
You know that the OCLC tools in URSA now seem to be working exactly as they should. If YOU find they are NOT, please tell us ASAP. (813-622-8252 ext 223)
You also know about the “secret code” you need in Fill Loan to over-ride URSA/iBorrow’s fear that you may have filled a request with the (GASP!) wrong item.
(The secret code is “Left Arrow Key” to make “YES” clickable. Tell all your friends.)
I told you before we got the build that requests being filled by OCLC would be labeled ‘External”. That’s true, but not quite the way I thought it would be.
To see it, go to Receive Loan in your URSA client. Find a request with an OCLC Review Number. Double click it. Click on the History tab. Look under the Event heading. Voila!
This last part is primarily for Sunline libraries, but the rest of you are welcome to read it, too.
When a patron makes a request through the Portal, URSA does a background search (usually using ISBN) to find an available copy.
If it thinks there is an available copy at a Sunline Library, but if it cannot successfully place a Hold (NCIP error, bad karma), it puts the request in the Mediate Loan workspace at the Sunline/catalog level. Since no specific Sunline library has the responsibility of monitoring that work space, requests have piled up there.
In the past, I would push them out in batches by Declining them when I had time to work on that. Because Aging was broken, there were always old requests there.
Now that Aging is working, I want to try a new approach.
As time allows, Matt and I will look at the requests in Sunline Mediate Loan and search them in Suncat. If we find a copy on the shelf, we will ‘push’ the request from the Sunline level to the owning library’s level. In other words, we’ll share out the work.
So, if you see a title appear in your Mediate Incoming Loan work space of Request Manager, it means we think you have an available copy. If you really do, we’d like you to fill the request.
If you don’t—either because Suncat was wrong or because you can’t loan that particular item—just Decline it.
We’re doing this only for Sunline, because it is irrelevant at Pinellas Park, Hillsborough, and Lee, and because Polk has someone doing the same thing for their system.
We’re not yet sure what the best way will be for Palm Harbor, Citrus, and Hernando.