Understanding Requesting System workflows at Duke Libraries

Patrons most often begin with a Books and Media Catalog search (Step 1). They may also start with a direct link if they are coming from another resource like a library libguide or a Canvas website.

If Duke does not hold the item, and the patron is not eligible for interlibrary loan, then the requesting process stops (Step 4). However, if the patron is eligible for interlibrary loan, then they have options for requesting a copy or scan from another library (Step 5).

If Duke holds the item, but the patron does not have an Alma borrowing account (for example, a visiting genealogy buff), they can use the materials onsite. If the item is at the LSC, they must request to have it sent from the LSC to campus using the LSC Request form (Step 9).

If Duke holds the item, and the patron has an Alma borrowing account, then they can proceed to choose options for the material via the catalog request system (Step 7).

The process begins with the patron logging into the Catalog Request System (Step 1). Patrons that are active faculty, staff, students, or visiting scholars will use their Duke NetID and password. Patrons who are Friends of the Duke University Libraries, alumni, or other visitors will need to create and use a Duke OneLink account.

If the item is not available, the options can vary, and depend on the type of patron that wants to borrow the item, and the type of item. E.g., not all patrons are eligible for interlibrary requesting (Steps 12 and 13), and not all patrons are able to recall items (Step 14), so it is possible that there could be no options to get the item.

If the item is available (Step 2) but not requestable (Step 3), their option is to go get the item directly and either check it out (if possible) or use it onsite (Step 5). The Catalog Request System presents “Where to find it” information to help patrons figure out where to go (Step 4).

If the item is available and requestable, the patron can request to have it delivered to a campus pickup location (step 6). The Catalog Request System uses Alma APIs to send the request to Alma.

If the item is at the LSC, Alma sends the request to CAIASoft (Step 10) and LSC staff use CAIASoft to pull the item and send it to campus (Step 11). If the item is on campus, staff at the local library use Alma to pull the request and scan it in to send to its pickup location (Step 8). The patron can then borrow the item (Step 9).

However, for faculty, staff and students, generally there will be an option to use interlibrary requesting to get a copy from another institution (Steps 12 and 13) or an option to recall the item from the Duke borrower (Step 14).

Recalling an item is detailed in the chart - the patron requests the item in the Catalog Request System (Step 14a), and then Alma handles recalling the item (Step 14b). There is some nuance in step 14b, depending on available holdings - if we have multiple copies of an item, the copy that is recalled may not always be the copy that is chosen by the patron. Once the item is returned, it is sent to the pickup location requested.

Resource Sharing Request workflows are outlined here: Workflow for Resource Sharing Requests

Scan and Deliver workflows are outlined here: [INSERT LINK]

Patrons must be part of a patron group that is eligible for interlibrary request.

Assuming they are, they can start either from a page in the Catalog Request System (Step 1) or straight to the book form in ILLiad (Step 2).

Once the request is created in ILLiad, it’s first routed to an ILLiad “queue” where requests are processed as they are received. An automated workflow pushes the request to TRLN ReShare (Step 4), and then checks if the request can be filled from a TRLN library (Step 5). The item at the other library must be both available and requestable.

If the request can be filled, the lending institution ships the item to Duke. When Duke receives the item, ReShare uses the NCIP protocol to send the bib and request information to Alma (step 8 ), where a borrowing request is created. Staff then use Alma to route the item to the requested pickup location and the patron then borrows the item (Step 10).

If the request cannot be filled at a TRLN library (Step 5), ReShare sends it back to ILLiad, and an automated workflow moves to a designated ILLiad queue for BorrowDirect. The item is then automatically sent to the BorrowDirect reshare, and a process similar to the TRLN workflow (Steps 4-10) occurs. If the item can be filled from a BorrowDirect library, the lending institution ships it to Duke and we use Alma to loan the item to the patron.

If the request cannot be filled with BorrowDirect (Step 13), then ReShare sends it back to ILLiad (Step 19), and the request is manually processed by staff, who use ILLiad to search for other libraries that hold the item, and send it through a standardized request process. Assuming the item can be filled through this manual process (Step 20), the request can be filled via OCLC, and the patron borrows the item. In this case (Step 22), the patron borrowing is tracked in ILLiad, not in Alma.

Finally, in some cases, the item cannot be borrowed at all - it may only be owned by a few libraries that don’t participate in OCLC lending, or it may be prohibitively expensive to borrow, or it may be a textbook that libraries don’t lend out. In those cases, staff will let the patron know that the request cannot be fulfilled.

Scan and Deliver is a specific service offered to eligible patrons where staff will scan a portion of a book and send it to a patron electronically.

This service is supported through ILLiad and all of the workflow runs through ILLiad.

The patron begins the service by choosing the option for Scan and Deliver in the Catalog Request System (Step 1).

The request is created in the ILLiad chapter book form (Step 2).

Then staff either scan a local copy (if available) or request a scan from another institution (Step 5).

The final step is to deliver the file to the patron using Oddysey (Step 6), which is an ILLiad-specific protocol used to move files to and between ILLiad servers. Oddysey is what allows ILLiad to provide the patron the file from an ILLiad webpage rather than sending it as an email attachment.

Patrons who want to use items in the Rubenstein Library or University Archives will usually start with searching for their item records, if they don’t already have the link (Step 1).

They can use the Collection Guides (Archives & Manuscripts at Duke University Libraries ) or the Books and Media Catalog (https://find.library.duke.edu)

Once they have the record where they want to request an item, either the Collection Guide or Books and Media Catalog sends the patron to the catalog request system (Step 2).

Not all Rubenstein items are available to be used. If they aren’t available, the process stops here (Step 5).

If the item is available, the next step is for the catalog request system to send the patron to AEON. If the patron is a first-time user of AEON, they must register and agree to collection use policies, and then try the process again (Step 4a.)

If they are not a first time researcher, they log into AEON, and the catalog request system pushes information about the record into the AEON request form (Step 6). Then the patron can choose which option they want - request a digital copy (Step 7a), or request to use in person (Step 7b). If using in person, they must indicate which date they need the material by.

If the patron wants to request more than one Rubenstein item, they must repeat this process for each item (Step 8).

For in-person use, the final step is to ensure that if the item is at the LSC, it is brought to campus for the patron to use in the reading room (Step 9a, Step 10).