SILO Interlibrary Loan

SILO Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is the system librarians across Iowa use to create, process, and record interlibrary loan transactions. SILO ILL provides:

  • Complete tracking of all transactions from placing a new request until the item is checked back in to the lending library.
  • A logging and tracking system for all of the library's borrowing and lending.
  • A searchable reporting system.
  • Printable transaction histories, mailing labels, book bands and book inserts.
  • Multiple addresses for delivery and returns.

Go to https://ill2.silo.lib.ia.us to get started


SILO Instructions

Getting Started

Getting started in the SILO ILL system

The system follows current security practices.  Everyone that uses the system must register for their own account, which the district LRTs can create on your behalf.  Each account should be associated with an individual and not the library as a whole. User names and passwords should not be shared between library staff.

All library staff that may need to create, update, or check the status of ILL transactions must complete the following steps:

  1. To create an account in the ILL2 system please contact your District LRT. Once created the account will be approved by your library director.
  2. Set notifications to select which email notifications you want to receive from the new system.

Library Directors

In the SILO ILL system the term Library Director is used as an administrative role.  One user at each library must be assigned to this role.  This user may be the library director or the head of the ILL department.

After district staff at the State Library have assigned an account the library director role, this user will have two additional permissions:

What's new in the system?

  • Complete tracking of all transactions from placing a new request until the item is checked back in to the lending library.
  • An ILL logging and tracking system for all of the library's borrowing and lending.
  • A searchable reporting system.
  • Printable transaction histories, mailing labels, book bands and book inserts.
  • Multiple addresses for delivery and returns.

SILO Interlibrary Loan System Glossary of Terms

BORROWER The party which has generated an ILL-Request
LENDER The party which has received an ILL-Request
PATRON DRAFT A request being worked on by the patron. They have not submitted it to the library. The draft waits to be submitted. When the patron draft is submitted is goes to “Draft” to be worked on by library staff
DRAFT 1. A request created by a patron. 2. A transaction that has reached the end of roto without being filled. 3. A draft waits to be acted upon by library staff. Borrower actions are: Actions are Remove or Request. The draft becomes a transaction when it is submitted.
ILL-TRANSACTION A single, complete instance of the whole ILL cycle, including all of the actions and messages involved from the initial ILLRequest until the cycle is concluded, as with the return of the requested material.
PENDING A transaction waiting to be acted upon. Actions Borrowers can take on a Pending transaction ask the Lender to Cancel, Reply to the Condition. Action Lenders can take on Pending transactions: Will Supply, Not Supplying (with a reason) or place a Condition on the loan.
SHIPPED The item has been shipped to the Borrower. Borrower actions are: Mark Received. Lender actions are: Mark it Shipped not Received, or Recall the item. The ILL system will set the status to Shipped not Received if item has not been Received by 2 days. (Note: this is set artificially low for the Beta test.)
RECEIVED The item has been received by the Borrower. Borrower actions are: Ask to Renew, Mark the item as lost. Lender actions are: Recall the item
RETURNED The item has been shipped back to the lender. Borrower actions: Mark as Returned. Lender actions: Mark completed. The ILL system will set the status to Returned not Received if item has not been Received by 2days.
CANCELLED The transaction has been cancelled by the lender.
CANCEL-PENDING The borrower has initiated the cancellation of a transaction, but no response has been received from the lender.
CONDITIONAL The transaction has reached a stage where the request can only be filled if the borrower agrees to meet the specified conditions. A lender may place a condition on a request. The transaction then goes back to the borrower who decides if the condition can be met. Borrower actions are: Reply No (do not agree to the condition) or Yes (agree to the condition). Replying No sends the transaction back to Pending for the Borrower. Replying Yes sends the transaction back to Pending for the Lender with the agreement attached.  Some examples of conditions are: item must be used in the library,  item cannot be checked out,  there is a loan fee for this item and the borrowing library will be charged,  the item is fragile and care must be used when handling,  the item must be returned as instructed (special packaging or a special carrier).
NOT RECEIVED/ OVERDUE The lender has sent an overdue notification for an item that has not yet been received.
OVERDUE The borrower has been notified that the item is overdue
RENEW/OVERDUE E A request has been made for the renewal of an item which is overdue.
RENEW/PENDING  A request has been made for the renewal of the item. Lender actions are: Answer Yes to approve the renewal, answer No to deny the renewal
RECALL The item has been recalled by the lender
LOST The item has been lost

 

Borrowing

How to Create a Transaction

  1. Click on the Search Locator Tab
  2. Use the search indexes, limiters and sort by options to enter an item.
  3. Click on the Search button
  4. Select the desired record by clicking on the title
  5. Review the item, then click on the Request this Item button
  6. Review the request
  7. If the request is for a format type other than regular print, enter the format type in the Borrower's notes box. These notes show up in large red type that is hard for the lender to miss. For example, "Send LARGE PRINT only!"
  8. Add patron information. If the requesting patron has an account, you may search for it by entering the patron's name in the box, or enter their information manually.
  9. Review the Lender string.
  10. Potential lenders can be deleted, or new ones added
  11. Click on the Request This Item button
  12. Note the green information box at the top of the confirmation page

Book Club Request

  • Search for Multiple Copies in SILO for Iowa libraries that have items available for loan in multiple quantities.

  • If the title is listed, contact the library directly to make loan arrangements. There is a link to library contacts for each library listing items on the list.

  • If the title is not listed, but is in the Locator database, you can request multiple copies through the SILO ILL System. Here's how: ( and read the notes at the bottom of this page.)

The new SILO ILL system has a new feature that automates the process of requesting multiple copies of a title for book clubs.

  1. Go to https://ill2.silo.lib.ia.us and login
  2. Click the Search Locator tab Using the indexes, search for the title, author, etc
  3. Change the sort order to "Popularity" by using the drop down menu
  4. Click the Search button
  5. When the results are returned, click on a record which shows many libraries own the title
  6. Click on the Book Club Request button
  7. On the next screen, verify the bibliographic information
  8. Verify that there are enough lenders in the "Load leveled lender list" to fulfill your needs
  9. Use the drop down list to select the number of copies you wish to request
  10. Edit the Borrower notes to add dates when needed by or other notes
  11. Click on either:
  12. Create Book Club Requests* button
  13. -or-
  14. Save to Draft** button
  • *Clicking on the Book Club Requests button will make multiple new requests equal to the number selected above in the "number of copies requested" The transactions are created with three lenders each. Lenders are selected one by one starting at the top of the list. The lender list is created following Iowa libraries' ILL protocols. The transactions are set to Pending status and placed in the Lenders' queues. The Lender sees an ordinary ILL request with only the Borrower notes indicating that this is a special Book Club Request. The transaction will move through the lender string. If no lenders are able to supply the item, the transaction returns to the borrower's draft queue.
  • **Clicking on the Draft button creates multiple new requests equal to the number selected above in the "number of copies requested". The transactions are created with five lenders each. Lenders are selected one by one starting at the top of the list. The lender list is created following Iowa libraries' ILL protocols. The transactions are set to Draft status and placed in the borrower's queue. These transactions have not been sent to any lenders. The borrower can modify each transaction and add patron information, or change the lender in the lender string. When the transaction is fixed up the way the borrower desires, clicking the Request This Item button sends all the transactions, individually, to the first lender in each transaction. Lenders should treat each copy requested as a single ILL request; it is not a duplicate request.
  • To quickly see a list of libraries that already received a request, use the Borrower Report [Reports -> Borrower Report]. Use the Search option to find the title of the Book Club Request, then mouse over the Locator Code to see it translated to Library Name.

Setting Preferred Lenders

A library can select libraries to use as preferred lenders. A library may select preferred lenders because they are on a delivery route, are reliable lenders or are convenient. The libraries added to this list will appear first in the Lender string should they own the requested item. This disrupts the usual Iowa interlibrary loan lender string protocols which are: like type, smallest to largest and closest to farthest.

  1. Click on the My Library tab
  2. Select Preferred Lenders
  3. Select one or more libraries from the list. Use the Ctrl key to multi-select.
  4. Click the > button to add selected lenders to the list.
  5. >> button adds all the entire list
  6. < button removes selected libraries from the Selected Lenders list
  7. << button clears the entire Selected Lender list
  8. Use the up and down arrow buttons at the bottom of the Selected Lender list to reorder the list of selected lenders.

Receiving

Receive items (from Shipped status)

As you open the packages received at the library, check to see if they are inter-library loan items. If they are ILL items for your patrons, let the lending library know you received the item in the SILO ILL system.

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on Shipped in the Borrower Queues
  3. Click on any transaction number link in the list
  4. Click on the Mark Received button

The transaction is updated to Received Status

Receive items (from Shipped not Received status)

A Lender shipped an item. The transaction was not marked as Received by the borrower within 28 days. The status is changed to Shipped but not Received. The borrower should mark Received or contact Lender.

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on Shipped not Received in the Borrower Queues
  3. Click on any transaction number link in the list
  4. Click on the Mark Received button

The transaction is updated to Received Status

Return item (from Received status)

The borrower should mark the transactions as "Returned" in the new SILO ILL System as they are packaging up the items to go back to the Lending library.

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on Received in the Borrower Queues
  3. Click on the transaction number link for the item you are returning from the list
  4. Click on the Mark Returned button
  5. The transaction is updated to Returned status and the Lender can mark the transaction complete when the item arrives at the lender's library, aka, the owning library.

Overdue items

The due date on a transaction has passed. The item is overdue. Collect the item from the patron and mark Returned when item is shipped back to Lender.

Click on the Home page tab
Click on Overdue in the Borrower Queues
Click on the transaction number link for the item you are returning from the list
Click on the Mark Returned button
The transaction is updated to Returned status and the Lender can mark the transaction complete when the item arrives at the lender's library, aka the owning library.

Mark Transactions Received, Then Mark Returned

As you open the packages received at the library, check to see if they are inter-library loan items. If they are ILL items for your patrons, let the lending library know you received the item in the SILO ILL system.

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on Shipped in the Borrower Queues
  3. Click on any transaction number link in the list
  4. Click on the Mark Received button

 After the patron has used the item, mark the transaction Returned as you are packaging up the items to go back to the Lending library.

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on Received in the Borrower Queues
  3. Click on the transaction number link for the item you are returning from the list
  4. Click on the Mark Returned button
  5. The transaction is updated to Returned status and the Lender can mark the transaction complete when the item arrives at the lender's library, aka, the owning library.

The Lending Library cannot mark the transaction complete until it is marked Returned by the Borrowing Library

Accounts, Roles & Permissions

Accounts

Everyone that uses SILO ILL must have an account created by their district LRT in order to access the system. The account must be associated with an individual and not a library or other organization as a whole. Usernames and passwords should not be shared with other users.

Library staff that use ILL services personally and professionally should maintain two separate accounts in the system. The professional library staff or library director account should be created with a work email address.

Home Library
All accounts are affiliated with exactly one library. This is referred to as the account's home library. For library staff and library directors it is the library that employs them. Any changes to an account's home library must be approved by staff at that library.

Roles and Permissions

All accounts in the SILO ILL system are assigned to a single role:
 

  • Library Staff: All library employees that may need to create, update, or check the status of ILL transactions must create an account in the SILO ILL system. After a library director approves the account, accounts with this role can:

    • Use all of the features available to a patron account
    • Use all of the ILL functions to view, create, and update transactions
       
  • Library Director: Typically one staff member at each library will be designated the library director administrative role in the SILO ILL system. After a State Library staff member approves the account, accounts with this role can:

    • Use all of the features available to a library staff account
    • Approve library staff accounts at the home library
    • Update the library's ILL profile including contact info and addresses
       
  • State Library Staff: Employees of the State Library that are responsible for supporting the SILO ILL system are assigned to this role. State Library staff can temporarily become another user in the system, so they can see the same information the other user would see. All of the activity a State Library staff member does on behalf of another user is logged. After a system developer approves the account, accounts with this role can:

    • Use all of the features available to a library director account
    • Approve library director accounts within the SILO ILL system
    • Login to any other user's account within the SILO ILL system

Changing the Home Library

When a user changes their home library, the account will be reassigned to the unverified role. Depending on the role required at the new home library, the user will need to wait for the account to be approved by State Library staff.

How to Create an Account

Everyone that uses SILO ILL must create an account to access the system. The account must be associated with an individual. Usernames and passwords should not be shared with other users.

All library staff and library director accounts at the same library see the same transactions in the same state.  Individual usernames are required, because SILO ILL contains personally identifiable information for patrons, and the system must maintain patron confidentiality.  

Create an account in SILO ILL

  • Please contact your District LRT to create your SILO ILL account. 

Account approval

All new accounts are created with the unverified role. Your account will need to be assigned a role, before you'll be able to use most of the features of the SILO ILL system:

The SILO ILL System does not send email notifications when new accounts are waiting for approval.  After you login the system will display an alert near the top of the page, if there are accounts that need to be approved.

Login to the SILO ILL system

After your account has been approved, you can login and use the system:

  1. Go to https://ill2.silo.lib.ia.us
  2. Click the Login link
  3. Enter your username and password
  4. Click the Log in button

How to Set E-mail Notifications

The SILO ILL system features a full set of notifications that will send you an email message at each status change of a transaction as it moves through the system.  These notifications are optional, and each account in SILO ILL has its own notification settings.

The intent of these messages is to remind staff to login to the system and take some action.  Most library staff that work in SILO ILL should plan to login to the website regularly rather than rely solely on notification messages.

Set your notification preferences.

  1. Login to your account in SILO ILL.
  2. Click on the My Account menu and select the Update Account option.
  3. All notifications are off by default.  Check the box next to each notice you want to receive.
  4. Click the Update button.

 

NOTE: Email messages are for notification purposes only.  All transactions must be responded to within the SILO ILL system.  Transactions may expire or be cancelled which may not be reflected in email notifications.  The website will always show the current status of a transaction.  Do not send materials based on an email notification.  Always respond within the SILO ILL website before shipping or returning materials.

How to Configure Settings for My Library

Users with the Library Director role may view and change several settings for their library in SILO ILL. The settings include contact information and participation settings.

Configure Settings

  1. Login to the SILO ILL system as a user with the Library Director role.
  2. Click on the My Library menu and select the My Library option.
  3. Review and edit each section on this page:
    • Organization name: the name of the library. This is used in the mailing address.
    • ILL Phone Number: the telephone number to reach someone in the Interlibrary Loan department with questions or concerns about a transaction.
    • ILL Email Address: the email address to reach someone in the Interlibrary Loan department with questions or concerns about a transaction.

ILL Participation

The Suspend ILL setting defaults to No. This means the library fully participates in borrowing and lending in SILO ILL.

Change the Suspend ILL setting to Yes to take your library out of SILO ILL temporarily. For example, during a library move, or when the school is on academic break. While the library is suspended in SILO ILL, it does not get added to any lender strings.

Your library's Locator code will not be removed from any existing lender strings, when you suspend your library in SILO ILL. You should start the suspension a few days before you are actually out of service and continue to check the pending lender queue and reply to those transactions.

While your library is suspended in SILO ILL, you will not be to create any new borrowing requests in the system either. SILO ILL is reciprocal, which means you are only allowed to borrow, while you are willing to lend.

Resume ILL on this date

Setting a date in this box will automatically change the Suspend ILL to No on this date. Your library will begin to show up in lender strings and your library will be able to create new borrowing requests automatically on this date.

Addresses

Every library can set multiple addresses in SILO ILL. The Address type and Address name are used to select the SHIPPED TO address and the RETURN TO address on transactions. Set these addresses for your library's delivery methods and greater accuracy in the delivery of the items.

  • Address Type: Each address is set as one of two types: Street Address or Postal Address.
  • Address Name: Each address can have a nickname, such as "Main Library" or "Branch Library".
  • Address 1, Address 2: Enter the correct information.
  • City: Select from the drop down list
  • County: Select from the drop down list
  • State: Select from the drop down list
  • Zip Code and Zip Suffix: Enter the correct information

Use the empty fields in the next box to add more addresses.

Click the Update button to save your changes.

How to Assign the Library Staff Role

After the library director's account has been approved by State Library staff, library staff can begin to make accounts. Every new account created in the SILO ILL system starts in the unverified role. Users with the Library Director role are responsible for assigning their staff accounts the Library Staff role.

Assign a new account the Library Staff role

  1. Login to the SILO ILL system as a user with the Library Director role.
  2. Click on the My Library menu and select the Manage Accounts option.
  3. From the list of users, click on the username of the account to approve.  Recently created user accounts will be in the unverified group / role.
  4. Click on the Make Staff button to assign the account the Library Staff role.

Users are not notified by the SILO ILL system when changes are made to their role.  You are responsible for notifying a staff member when their account has been approved.

Patron Accounts

The new SILO ILL system was designed for patron use, too, not just for libraries. Patron access to the SILO ILL system is controlled by the library. If the library accepts, patrons can use their SILO ILL account as an alternative to filling out paper ILL request forms. Patrons can create an account, but it must be activated* before the account can be verified** by the library.

Activated and verified patrons can login using their username and password and use the SILO ILL System. A patron account has permissions to:

  • Update the account including changing home library and contact information
  • Select notifications to receive
  • Search the Locator
  • Request items

A patron-generated request goes into the Draft queue. Library staff can create an ILL request transaction from the patron's request. The patron's information is carried into and is attached to the transaction.

Other uses for a patron account:

  • When a library is creating a new transaction, verified patron accounts affiliated with the library can be attached to the transaction. Search for a Patron account and pull the patron information into the transaction. The form says, "If the requesting patron has an account, you may search for it ...."

Managing Patron Accounts

  • Library staff can see what patron accounts are affiliated with the library by selecting the "Patrons" menu option under the Reports tab.

  • Library staff can manage patron accounts by selecting "Manage Accounts" under the My Library tab.
  • The unverified patrons are listed, along with the user's email address
  • If you want to send an email to the user telling them you are not using patron accounts, etc., capture the user's email address first, then,
  • Use the Remove button to reject the patron. This sets the user's home library to none
  • Send an email message (outside of the SILO ILL System) to the user
  • OR - click the Make Patron button to accept the patron account

-----------------------------
Libraries have requested tighter restrictions on the patron accounts, so we have more work to do. Here is a list of further development (but no time frame on this work):

Patron account restrictions
- All accounts must activated before they can be verified.
- Unverified accounts can search and store patron drafts.
- Only verified patron accounts can submit requests.
- Libraries can restrict their patrons to a limited number of open transactions  such as 5 per patron account at any one time.
* Can be set to 0 to prevent patrons from submitting requests.

*ACTIVATION: The new SILO ILL system's security checks each username and password by checking for a unique username, password and e-mail account. After signing up for an account the user is directed to confirm their email address by following the link provided in an e-mail message delivered to their e-mail account. Once the user follows the link provided in the e-mail message and the signup process is finalized, the account is then activated.

**VERIFICATION: During the account creation, a patron selects a home library. That library is then notified within the SILO ILL system that a patron is requesting verification. The library can check their automation system to see if the patron belongs to them, is not an open access patron, and is in good standing. The library then chooses to verify the account or reject the account.

Staff can also manually enter in the patron information in the "Patron Information (If no account)" form when creating a transaction. Entering the name in the "Patron Name" field carries that name with the transaction and shows up in the Borrower report. Holding this information with each transaction, and the other information that is available on the Borrower Report should allow the library to go "paperless" and  stop collecting print-outs and handwriting the patron's name on other paper-based ILL trails.

Lender Strings

The sort order for the Lender string reflects Iowa's inter-library loan protocols which have been in place since the old ILITE days. ILITE was a teletype system used back in the 1970's and 80's by Iowa libraries to request and loan library items . The purpose of the inter-library loan protocols (then and now) is to "spread the load", and equalize the borrowing and lending across all Iowa libraries. It was implemented so that the burden of lending did not fall solely to the large libraries and universities. It is working as intended, and it is important that libraries use the system-generated lender strings and do not circumvent the system.

Lender strings are generated and sorted like this:

  • First, by preferred lenders (if any are specified);
  • then by size, (smallest to largest);
  • next by library type (like type borrows from like type: publics from publics, schools from schools, etc);
  • and then finally, geographically by District (which includes about 15 counties);
  • Then the whole lender string is randomized so the same libraries don't get selected for the same titles.


All of this is done programmatically based on the sorting algorithm.

In the new SILO ILL system we added the option to set a collection of Preferred Lenders as a concession to circumventing the automated protocol-based lender string.  The libraries listed as the Preferred Lenders assures that those libraries get added to the Lender String first (if they hold the item.) Using the Preferred Lenders is faster and easier than manually selecting a Lender String. Set the list of preferred lenders under the "My Library" tab, "Preferred Lenders".

Lending

Responding to Requests

Respond Yes to a Loan Request

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on New Requests in the Lender Queue
  3. Click on the Print Shelf List button
  4. Take the list and search the library catalog for call numbers, then take the list to the shelves and pull the books
  5. Back in the system, click on any item in the list
  6. Review the Item Description
  7. At any time, review the Display Transaction History to see details of the transaction (this opens in a new tab)
  8. Click the checkbox next to Allow Renewals?
  9. Change the due date, if desired.
  10. Click the Will Supply button
  11. On this new screen, note the information boxes at the top of the confirmation page
  12. From this screen you can display and print the Item Insert, a mailing label and a book band using the links in the middle
  13. You can add notes to the borrower in the Lender Notes text box
  14. After you take it the post office and receive a tracking number, you can come back here and enter it in this box
  15. After all this, you can move on to Process the Next Transaction by clicking on the Process Next Transaction button
  16. Or, click the Update button to end the processing

Respond No to a Loan Request

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on New Requests in the Lender Queue
  3. Click on the Print Shelf List button
  4. Take the list and search the library catalog for call numbers, then take the list to the shelves and pull the books
  5. Back in the system, click on any transaction number link in the list
  6. Review the Item Description (optional)
  7. At any time, review the Display Transaction History to see details of the transaction (this opens in a new tab)
  8. Click the drop down menu under "Reason for Decision"
  9. Make a selection from the list and click on the reason
  10. Click the Not Supplied button
  11. Repeat from step 3 if there are more transactions to process

Respond Conditionally to a Request

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on New Requests in the Lender Queue
  3. Click on the Print Shelf List button
  4. Take the list and search the library catalog for call numbers, then take the list to the shelves and pull the books
  5. Back in the system, click on any transaction number link in the list
  6. Review the Item Description (optional)
  7. At any time, review the Display Transaction History to see details of the transaction (this opens in a new tab)
  8. Type a conditional message in the Message box
  9. Click the Add Condition? button
  10. On this new screen, note the information boxes at the top of the confirmation page
  11. After this, you can move on to Process the Next Transaction by clicking on the Process Next Transaction button
  12. Or, click the Update button to end the processing

After the lender has placed a condition on a request, the transaction goes back to the borrower who decides if the condition can be met

Some examples of conditions are:

  • the item must be used in the library,
  • the item cannot be checked out,
  • there is a loan fee for this item and the borrowing library will be charged,
  • the item is fragile and care must be used when handling,
  • the item must be returned as instructed (special packaging or a special carrier).

Respond to a Renewal Request

  1. Click on the Home page tab
  2. Click on Renew in the Lender Queue
  3. Click on the transaction number link
  4. At any time, review the Display Transaction History to see details of the transaction (this opens in a new tab)
  5. To approve the renewal request, click in the Date Due box and set a new due date
  6. Click on the Approve Renewal button
  7. The transaction is updated for the borrower and remains in the "received' state.
  8. To deny the renewal request, click on the Deny Renewal button
  9. The transaction is updated for the borrower and remains in the "received' state.

Typical ILL Workflow

Typical ILL Workflow
​​​​

Overdues

When the new SILO ILL system was released the Allow Renewals checkbox defaulted to unchecked. In most cases, because we were all new to this, the Lender did not check the box and the transaction was filled without allowing renewals. Now many of those early transactions have reached the end of the loan period and the status is changed to OVERDUE. Because these transactions were not flagged to ALLOW RENEWALS the borrower does not have the option to request a renewal through the system.

In order for the request-for-renewal button to show up on a transaction, the lender must check the Allow Renewals the box when responding to the transaction request as WILL SUPPLY.
allow-renewals

The default setting of the Allow Renewals check box is checked, allowing renewals on all transactions by default.

But on the those early transactions, which are now in the OVERDUE state, the lending library currently is unable to edit the overdue transaction to Allow Renewals or change the due date. (This feature is coming! Editing the due date is a feature improvement on the new SILO ILL system update list and will be implemented later.)

With a transaction in the OVERDUE state, and without the ask-for-renwal button appearing, the borrowing library must call or e-mail the lending library and ask for a renewal. If the lender agrees, settle on a new due date and monitor this transaction outside the new SILO ILL system. The transaction will remain in OVERDUE status, which both the borrowing library and the lending library will see in their queues, but both libraries should leave the transaction out there in OVERDUE status until the borrowing library is ready to return the item and can mark the transaction RETURNED.

This is a temporary situation and should not continue to happen because SILO changed the default setting of the Allow Renewals check box to be checked.

Printing

The SILO ILL system was designed to be mostly "paperless", however a few items were designed to be printed. These are described below. There is no rule about printing, or a proscribed process that all  libraries must follow. Each library should find a work flow that works best for them.

The Shelf List is a printable list that the librarian can take to the shelf to pull the items for inter-library loan. This printed list can be used to write the item call numbers on.Print Shelf List

Get to the Shelf List this way:

From the Home menu, select "New Requests" from the Lender Queue. Click on the Print Shelf List button. NOTE: There is no print preview; the print job goes straight to the printer.

 

The book insert is intended to be printed and sent with the book or item as it travels to the borrowing library. The book insert contains all the transaction number, the bibliographic information, borrower notes, borrowing library information and lending library information. The intent was use this as a way to identify the item for the borrowing library. If the borrowing library entered patron information on the transaction, that information is also displayed on the book insert.

The printed book band is another way to identify this item as an inter-library loan item. The print formatting has been fixed so that from most browsers and printers the test will print on the left half of an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of paper in the portrait orientation. A lending library uses this to mark the book and alert the borrowing library to pay special attention to this item, and get it back where it belongs, once the patron is finished with it. Some borrowing libraries leave this book band in place as they circulate it to their patrons, and some remove it before circulating it to their patron. And some patrons remove it themselves, if it gets in their way, or they want to see the cover.

The mailing label is used for labeling the outside of the package containing the item as the item is shipped. You can print this page, then cut and paste the label on the package, or you can copy the information and paste it into your mailing label program.

Get to these items this way:

Click on any queue from the Lender Queue
Click on any transaction number
From the Lender Transaction summary page, click on the links in the middle of the page:

Display Item Insert, Display Mailing Label, Display Book Band
Each link will open in a new tab

Use the browser settings and browser print options to print items

NOTE: Each item prints best on 8 1/2 x 11" paper set in the portrait orientation.

 

 

Suspend Interlibrary loan participation

Sometimes it is necessary for a library to stop participating in inter-library loan. In most cases, this is a temporary situation, for example, when a library is moving the collection.  Because the library may already be in lender queues, it is recommended not to suspend ILL for fewer than 3 days.  The transactions stay in the Lender Queue for 4 days before moving on.

It's a good idea to cross-train staff in inter-library loan procedures, so that your library does not have to suspend from ILL when "the ILL clerk" goes on vacation!

Because inter-library loan is reciprocal in nature, a library cannot suspend from lending, but keep the borrowing option. This violates the spirit of inter-library loan and the SILO Interlibrary loan system stops a library from borrowing when the Suspend option is on.

The Suspend ILL option is not to be used as a toggle button. Do not suspend to remove your library from lending, but un-suspend (or activate) to enter a borrower request, then suspend again. A library is either participating in inter-library loan, or not.

Instructions

  1. Go to https://ill2.silo.lib.ia.us
  2. Login with the account that has the Library Director role
  3. Click on the My Library tab
  4. Select My Library from the drop down menu
  5. In the Suspend ILL? option, select Yes from the drop down menu
  6. Click on the blank field under "Resume ILL on this date:" and use the calendar picker to enter a date.
  7. NOTE: Selecting a date to resume ILL activity is optional. When a date is entered, the system will automatically activate ILL on that date for this library. A library can leave this field blank and manually unsuspend ILL at anytime.
  8. Click the Update Button in the lower right corner
 

Statistics

Collect ILL Statistics for the Annual Survey

Collect Interlibrary Loan statistics from the SILO ILL system for the Annual Survey fields for Interlibrary Loan:

  • F32: Received from other libraries
  • F33: Provided to other libraries

How to retrieve statistics from the SILO ILL system

  1. Go to http://ill2.silo.lib.ia.us
  2. Click the Login tab and enter a Username and Password -> Log in
  3. Click on the Reports tab and select Monthly Summary Reports
  4. Use the date drop down menus to select From date: 05 - 2017 | To date: 06 - 2017
  5. From the resulting chart, collect, or write down the number from the column labeled "Borrower Completed"
  6. This will be recorded in F32 Received from other libraries on the Annual Survey
  7. From the resulting chart, collect, or write down the number from the column labeled "Lender Will Supply"
  8. This will be recorded in F33 Provided to other libraries on the Annual Survey

ILL Transaction Tally

The ILL Transaction Tally is used by libraries to keep track of ILL transactions not made through the SILO ILL system or OCLC WorldShare so that the transactions are counted for ILL Reimbursement. This tally is used to record loans of book discussion kits (multiple copies of a single title)when the requests were received by e-mail, phone, fax, or any method beyond the automated ILL systems.
 
The ILL Transaction Log was a paper log that libraries used to keep track of ILL transactions not made through the SILO ILL system or OCLC WorldShare so that the transactions were counted for ILL Reimbursement. The log was used to record loans of book discussion kits (multiple copies of a single title)when the requests were received by e-mail, phone, fax, or any method beyond the automated ILL systems.

Now this form is a part of SILO ILL. It is important to note that the function remains the same and the ILL Transaction Tally is not automated. If a library uses this tally to record ILL transactions that are not SILO and not OCLC WorldShare, the State Library can pull statistics from this tally at the end of the year and add the transactions to the library's total loan count for ILL Reimbursement. This online tally replaces the paper form.

The Tally is located under the My Library tab in the SILO ILL System. The Tally is available to all SILO ILL roles.
 
Go to https://ill2.silo.lib.ia.us Login to your account Click on the My Library Tab Click on ILL Transaction Tally Enter the Title of the Item Use the drop down menu to select the number of items Click on the calendar icon to select Date sent Use the drop down menu to select the Borrowing Library Click the Add button The transaction is logged and displayed by Logged on date order The last 10 transactions are displayed at the bottom of the tally.
 

Reports

To view all of the transactions tallied, use the Report Click on the Reports Menu Click on ILL Transaction Tally Report Use the search options or a date search


Transactions can be entered into the ILL Transaction Tally retroactively. So even though one quarter of the fiscal year has already passed, library staff can enter any transaction that was already recorded on the paper form and it will be counted for ILL reimbursement. A library that records transactions into the online Tally does not have to submit a paper form at the end of the year.