Lending Actions

Lending Actions

This menu appears when you click the Lending drop-down menu at the top of the page.

Lending specific actions (such as Batch Print, Batch Update, and Bad Citation) are displayed under the Lending Actions header. The shared functions (such as Status Check, Statistics, and Search Holdings) are displayed under the Tools and Holdings headers.

Batch Print

Selecting Batch Print on the left-hand toolbar displays the Main Menu screen. For more information, see the New Request-Batch Print section.

Batch Update

You can update Rapid requests using the following options:

• Filled – used for articles that you have scanned and delivered.

• Unfilled – used for articles that you cannot supply.

• Re-filled – used for materials that must be re-sent.

• Bad Citation - used for requests with incorrect or incomplete citations preventing successful fulfillment.

1. Select Batch Update.

2. Select the Filled, Un-Filled, or Re-Fill radio button next to the label. You can select only one radio button at a time.

   

   Batch Update Options

3. Enter the Rapid request numbers. The Rapid request numbers are barcoded for easy and accurate updating. Using a barcode scanner eliminates keystroke errors and streamlines your workflow. You do not need to use the "-" (negative symbol) at the beginning of the barcode when making updates.

4. Program the barcode scanner to automatically “return” to instantly move you to the next empty box when making updates. If you are entering the request numbers manually, press the Enter key to move to the next box. You can update a maximum of twenty records in batch at a time.

5. Click Update.

   

   Update Button

Requests that have been updated correctly display a green checkmark.

A red X indicates an update error and includes a message with an error description. Update errors can have several causes. It is recommended to first check that the request number has been typed correctly. Other causes for a red X can be that the borrower has canceled or deleted a request, the request has already been updated, or that the request has moved on to the next lending library.

You can clear the fields to continue updating by selecting Clear. Note that Filled, Unfilled, or Re-fill option must be selected.

Bad Citations

Rapid’s Bad Citation function is used when a lender must inform the borrowing library that a citation to a requested article is incorrect.

Lenders should follow these guidelines when sending a bad citation:

• Bad citations must be sent only for issues that the borrower can fix, such as page numbers not included in the cited volume, or a mismatch between the citation's year and volume. Bad citations must not be sent if the material requested has already been sent to the bindery, or if the material cannot be found on the shelf, which the borrower cannot fix. RapidILL does not use reasons for no.
• An exception to the rule above is if the article requested is too long to copy. If the material is very long and the material can be loaned, a bad citation can be sent describing the reason. 
• Bad citation messages should be helpful. For example, writing “This year and volume do not match” is better than a general description “Not as cited.”  It is important to include as many pertinent details as possible describing why the request is being returned as a bad citation.

1. Select Bad Citation.

2. Enter the Rapid request number in the Rapid # box.

3. In the Comments: box, enter the information describing why the citation is incorrect. Comment must be at least six characters long.

4. Select Submit.

   

   Bad Citation Form

5. When a bad citation is sent, the lender’s clock stops.

6. If the borrowing library corrects or resubmits the request, it may or may not come back to the library because Rapid’s dynamic routing chooses the current lender at that time.

Status Check

Use the Status Check function to find a Rapid request number or to check the status of a request in progress.  Status Check gives a complete history of a Rapid request down to the date and minute.

Select Status Check from the Tools drop menu. In this example, a request for a patron: "Smith" is being searched.

Results are returned for any request with patron name "Smith" for which my library is the borrower or the lender. From the screenshot below, you can see that the Status Check function gives a complete history of the request down to the date and minute. In addition, the Rapid request number is clearly visible.

Statistics

There are several important things to know about your library’s RapidILL statistics.

• Statistics are compiled monthly, and the current month is posted at the beginning of the following month. For example, May statistics are posted on June 1st.

• Rapid libraries have access to their institution’s activity only.

• System averages are shown next to your library’s activity for easy comparison. Comparisons, such as how your library’s turnaround time compares to your virtual pod’s system average turnaround time are clearly displayed.

• Each month the borrowing and lending system averages for the previous month are posted on the Rapid home page. These numbers are based on the activity of every Rapid site.

  For more information, watch Web Page Lending. (5:00 min)

• Statistics is a shared module and can be opened from the top toolbar under the Tools Actions header. See below.

Selecting the Statistics link on the left-hand toolbar brings you to the statistics main menu page. As you can see below, like the Rapid main menu page, the Lending statistics are on the left, and borrowing is on the right.

You can view all of your library’s lending statistics by selecting ALL:

You can also view a branch library’s statistics by selecting the branch's name:

The following figure shows Morgan Library’s lending statistics, which includes lending activity by month and year. Notice that the system averages for COF’s ‘virtual pod’ are displayed for easy comparison.

Statistics Spreadsheet

In addition to the basic breakdown, RapidILL provides a very detailed view of each of your lending requests. Choose the Lending Spreadsheets option to review individual requests.

Select the month and year you want to review.

The monthly lending statistical spreadsheet details every request that your library received via Rapid.

The level of detail in the statistical spreadsheets can be helpful not only for ILL information but for collection analysis.

The spreadsheets are in Excel format and can be easily downloaded and manipulated according to your needs. (Your spreadsheet will not look exactly like this one because the column headings were reformatted to fit this page.)

Search Holdings

It is a rare occurrence that a lender would use the Search Holdings function, but it may be a helpful tool to use prior to making journal acquisition or cancelation decisions.

1. Select Search Holdings in the left-hand toolbar to open the Search Holdings screen.

   

   Search Holdings Query

   The title search is a keyword search. You will want to limit your search by being as specific as possible and including a year.

2. For example, specify the journal title Drug Metabolism Reviews and year 1984 and then select Search.

   

   Search Holdings Results

   The Rapid Code column indicates which libraries in your virtual pod own a title for a particular year.

   You can sort by a specific column by selecting its blue column header.

   A blue checkmark icon in the Local Only column indicates that the owning library has designated this year of this standard number as material from which they cannot fill. This blue checkmark appears on holdings that are ‘block’ in the Rapid system.