Partnering for Success: ILL & IT

Lara Bushallow (Head, Systems Group)

Jessica Bowdoin (Head, ILL)

16 July 2010

VIVA ILL Forum

VGM’s ILL Office Staff

• Head of ILL & Document Delivery• Borrowing Supervisor• Lending Supervisor• 2 Borrowing/Lending Assistants• 2-4 student assistants

• ILL Office reports to Head, Access Services

• 1 ILL/CLS/DD person at both: Arlington and Prince William campuses

VGM’s IT Landscape

• Digital Programs and Systems Office serves the 4 libraries at George Mason

• 1 Associate University Librarian plus 8 staff members (4 librarians, 4 classified staff)

• DPS provides desktop support, runs many of our own servers, although ILLIAD is hosted offsite

ILL statistics, FY2010

• Borrowing:– Copies: 3,581– Loans: 3,102– Total: 6,683

• Lending:– Copies: 5,800– Loans: 10,045– Total: 15,845

Some Borrowing Cancels:

–CLS: 658–Reserve: 238–Online: 877

CLS Statistics (FY2010)

• Borrowing:– Copies: 551– Loans: 9,783 + 9,962 (walk-in) = 19,745– Total: 20,296

• Lending:– Copies: 1,655– Loans: 28,331 + 1,094 (walk-in) = 29,425– Total: 31,080

Document Delivery Statistics, FY2010

• Document Delivery:– Copies: 1,042– Loans: 3,436 – Total: 4,478

Implementing ILLiad’s DD module

• Initial meeting: determine what needs to be done and by whom

• Along the way: – ILL Office updated email templates, Word

templates, created training PowerPoint presentations, trained other campuses, provided text/layout for web forms

– Systems created web forms, tested them, posted them to server, installed software/hardware at other campuses to participate

ILLiad Shared Server Implementation

• Systems checked with OCLC for checklist of how it would impact VGM prior to date of implementation

• Down time• Odyssey address change• Folder changes on server impacting

article receiving/viewing• Error messages on Connection

Manager with Odyssey

The problems kept coming...

• OCLC turned VGM off, and turned VGL on so we couldn’t connect to WRS through ILLiad

• Customization Manager changes not made by OCLC

• Failed initial ILLiad installation at VGL• OCLC changed VGM’s email sent to

customers at initial registration (should have been VGL’s)

• OCLC later changed email address notices are sent from (to VGL’s on VGM’s settings)

Lessons Learned

• Do know your environment• Do ask for help; don’t demand • Do know what you’re asking for and why• Do try to speak the same language;

reframe questions to ensure everyone understands

• Do be patient and teach along the way• Don’t jump to conclusions

A Few More Tips

• Document procedures, policies, and decisions

• Be open to change• Let people know they are appreciated

and necessary

VGM ILL Office’s Hero:

Questions?