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OCLC Support

Improve turnaround time

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Find information about improving your turnaround time for borrowing and lending in WorldShare ILL.

To improve turnaround times, review your institution's ILL process and consider using smart fulfillment features.

For assistance configuring your ILL service, contact OCLC Support.

 Actions for Borrowing

  • Set up basic automations in Automated Request Manager so that requests from your patrons are sent directly to lenders and utilize a Smart Lender String sorted by lender turnaround time.
  • Review your Custom Holdings Groups and Custom Holdings Paths to ensure you are prioritizing the best lenders for your requests.
  • Promptly mark requests received when they arrive in your library.
  • For copy requests:
    • If your library uses Tipasa, make sure you have configured Proven Senders so that requests are automatically received by the system and sent to patrons.
    • If your library uses ILLiad, make sure you have configured Odyssey Trusted Senders so that requests are automatically received by the system and sent to patrons.
    • If your library uses WorldShare ILL, turn on the Article Received via Article Exchange notification in Service Configuration to have staff instantly emailed when copy requests have been filled electronically.

Actions for Lending

  • Get started with real-time availability.
  • Set up lending automation to process new requests more quickly and consistently. Lending automation can apply constant data to new requests based on rules you establish, ensuring requests already have the proper charges, lending notes, and address information applied before you open them.  Refer to Automated Request Manager for Lending for more information.
  • Check your ILL Lending queue twice daily to avoid allowing requests to sit for too long. If you receive a request for an item you cannot fill quickly, respond No to move the item to a lender who may be able to supply it faster. 
  • If your staff is going to be unavailable or you have an unexpected closure, change your supplier status to non-supplier in the OCLC Policies Directory. See Change Supplier Status for more information.
  • If you use WorldShare ILL or Tipasa and do not regularly log in to your WorldShare account, set up the New Lending Requests Email Notification that emails up to 5 staff members when a new lending request arrives.
  • Utilize OCLC’s WorldCat knowledge base to surface article-level links in your WorldShare ILL, Tipasa, or ILLiad staff interface. The knowledge base is available to all institutions with a OCLC cataloging subscription. More information is available at oc.lc/getcm
    • Once set up with the WorldCat knowledge base, ensure that integration is enabled. See Interlibrary Loan Options, Knowledge Base Active Link for more information.
    • Using the WorldCat knowledge base ensures your library receives fewer requests for e-articles your library cannot fill due to lacking the requested year or volume.
  • Consider creating Local Holdings Records (LHRs) in WorldCat to describe your coverage ranges for your print serials. This will reduce the number of requests you receive for articles you cannot fill due to lacking the requested year or volume.
  • Always ship electronic documents correctly using Article Exchange or Odyssey. Do not email pdfs to the borrowing library. See Article Exchange for more information.
  • Delete holdings in WorldCat for requested items to which you respond Not Owned.
  • If you are in the Express program or working to lower your lending turnaround time for copies to qualify, consider processing copy requests before loan requests to maximize turnaround time.