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Home > Minerva > Circulation > Online Requesting and Lending FAQs

Online Requesting and Lending FAQs

  1. How are requests and materials sent in response to requests processed?
  2. How firmly are these procedures established?
  3. Where can I find information about online requesting?
  4. What can a patron do when requesting within Minerva?
  5. What can a patron do when requesting within MaineCat?
  6. Is it possible to make Minerva requesting work just like Mainecat requesting?
  7. How does one cancel requests?
  8. Is it okay to print paging slips to email before sending them to a printer?
  9. Is it necessary to print Hold Pickup Notices and Hold Cancellation Notices?
  10. How can I control what items in my collection are requestable or visible in MaineCat, and whether my patrons can request through MaineCat.
  11. How does Item Status affect online requesting and lending?
  12. How does Item Type affect intra Minerva requesting and lending?

1. How are requests and materials sent in response to requests processed?

Online Requesting and Lending can be done at two levels: within Minerva and across MaineCat.  Requests must be placed first within Minerva for items that are available somewhere within the Minerva system.  Requests for items that are not available within Minerva are placed within the MaineCat - Statewide Catalog.  In both cases, requests can be placed by patrons in good standing using the Request button within the Web OPAC. Library staff may also place Intra-Minerva requests using the Holds functionality of Millennium Circulation. While the two processes have many similarities, they are not identical.  Consult the Procedures for Intra_Minerva Requests or the Procedures for MaineCat Requests, as appropriate.

2. How firmly are these procedures established?

In January 2005 the membership of Minerva endorsed an online requesting and lending policy for Intra-Minerva transactions based on the Open ILL Trial that began in July, 2004. However, the Executive Committee of the Users Council monitors the operation of this important service. Policy and procedure changes are possible based on action by this body. Procedures for MaineCat transactions involve many more libraries and are more fully established.  They are subject to change as well, but only through a broader process.

3. Where can I find information about online requesting?

Links to online requesting and lending information specific to Minerva can be found on the Minerva Request page or left navigation links under "Requesting."

4. What can a patron do when requesting within Minerva?

A patron in good standing, whose patron type has not been blocked by loan rule logic within Minerva, can do the following:

  • Search Minerva and place a request for the next available copy of the title shown in the Web OPAC. (Exception: if there are multiple volumes, the user will be able to select a specific copy.) 
  • (Note that libraries new to Minerva may not yet have been trained for online requesting or lending, or a given item may fall into one of the handful of temporary availability exceptions cited in policy.)
  • Place a hold on any item that is currently in circulation.
  • View transaction status and cancel the request from the View Patron Information area of Minerva.

5. What can a patron do when requesting within MaineCat?

A patron in good standing, whose patron type has not been blocked by loan rule logic in MaineCat, can do the following:

  • Search MaineCat and request a copy of a given work, but only if it is not also available in the patron's local system.  (The system selects the supplying library, not the patron.)
  • View transaction status and cancel the request from the View Patron Information area of Minerva.

6. Is it possible to make Minerva requesting work just like MaineCat requesting?

Enhancements to the INN Reach software have been made that should make that possible. However, hardware upgrades and other logistical considerations will determine when this new software can be fully implemented. The second half of 2005 appears most likely.  The new software should make it possible to initiate all requests at the MaineCat level, with the system automatically handing off to Minerva those that involve a patron and an item that are both part of that system. 

7. How does one cancel requests?

  • The patron can cancel a request from the View Patron Information screen up to the point that anJuly 27, 2007tron barcode information can use the same mechanism if desired.
  • Requests that involve both patron and item that are part of Minerva should be transferred to another Minerva library if possible, otherwise cancelled as described in the Intra-Minerva Requesting and Lending Policy.
  • Requests that originate outside of Minerva should be transferred or cancelled using essentially the same process. The only difference lies in the system offering several choices for cancellation message, rather than providing access to existing drop hold notice text.
  • Occasionally an item will arrive from a MaineCat source that is no longer needed.  Rather than go through the usual motions of a dummy checkout and checkin, one may simply select INN-Reach, then Return Item and set the item on its way back to the lending library from within Millennium Circulation.

8. Is it okay to print paging slips to email before sending them to a printer?

However you print paging slips is fine, as long as the end product inserted in an item sent to a requesting library has no more and no less information than the paging slip would have had if printed directly.  In particular, if you choose to send paging slips to yourself via email, be sure to delete all email header information. This will avoid confusion at the receiving library.

9. Is it necessary to print Hold Pickup Notices and Hold Cancellation Notices?

Yes.  The shared loan rule used for online requesting within Minerva, as well as the rules used with MaineCat Requests, are set to generate Hold Pickup Notices and Hold Cancellation Notices.  You  should print them on a regular basis. If they build up they can cause item information associated with the transaction to not be deleted properly by the system.  If you choose not to actually use the notices, however, there is a painless way to get rid of them: print them to your email address. This consumes no paper and is very quick.  Anyone needing info on how to do this should contact info.support@mestate.lib.me.us.

10. How can I control what items in my collection are requestable or visible in MaineCat, and whether my patrons can place requests?

Online Catalog: Ways to control whether something is visible and whether it appears as available for requesting
Task In Minerva and Maine MaineCat... In MaineCat Only...
Make Item Record Invisible Set Icode2="n" Suppress Set Icode2="z" Non Contribute
Make Bib Record Invisible
(Only on unique local bibs or on very low quality records selected by system administrator) 		Set Initials="n" Suppress Set Initials="0" Non Contribute
Prevent non-local requests for non circulating collections (reference, rare books, etc.) Set Status="o" Library Use Only Set Itype to a "Plus 10" value in 100-199 range
Prevent non-local requests for a circulating shelving location (All circulating items are requestable if library a full participant. ) Set Itype to a "Plus 100" value in 100-199 range, reset when local shelving location changes.
Prevent a category of patrons from making requests of other libraries. Ask that MSL to adjust Loan Rule Determiner Table (Minerva). Ask that MSL map Ptype to non-requesting (MaineCat).
Prevent an individual patron, otherwise in good standing, from placing requests. Set a Manual Bock in the patron's Minerva record.

Note that items that are not visible are not requestable, and that items that are non-requestable in Minerva are automatically non-requestable in MaineCat.

11. How does Item Status affect online requesting and lending?

The answer is different within Minerva and across MaineCat.

Across MaineCat an item cannot be requested unless it has a Status of "-" Available. Of course, loan rule requirements must also be met.

Within Minerva, an online request made through the OPAC starts out as a bib level hold. If there is an attached item that meets loan rule requirements and has a Status of Available, the bib level hold is immediately converted to an item level hold and a Paging Slip is queued for printing at the lending library.

If there are no copies immediately eligible to fill the hold it stays at the bib level and is evaluated again whenever one of the bib's attached items is scanned..

However, if the title is a multi-volume work, as evidenced by the presence of a Volume field in at least one attached item record, then the patron is given the opportunity to select an item. In such cases, however, items with the following Statuses are NOT requestable:

k ONLINE
l LOST
m MISSING
n BILLED
o LIBR USE ONLY
q OWNS
s ON SEARCH
w WITHDRAW SHELF
z CLAIMED RET'D
$ PAID

12. How does Item Type affect Intra-Minerva requesting and lending?

Currently items with the following Itypes are treated as AV materials that should get the 1 week loan rule.

2-5,7-8,16-18,20-21,37,42-44,47-48,63,77,79,102-105,107-108,116-118,120-121,137,142-144,147-148,163,177,179

These Itypes, on the other hand, get a 3 week loan rule:

0-1,6,9-15,19,24,26-28,36,40-41,46,49-50,57,60-62,64-69,76,78,80-81,83-84,88-90,96,100-101,106,109-115,124,126-128,136,140-141,146,149-150,157,160-162,164-169,176,178,180-181,183-184,188-190,192,196

Itypes on neither list are treated as non-requestable.

If some of your materials are getting the wrong loan period when requested by another Minerva library, check to see whether you use of Itypes does not conform to this scheme. A list of all Itypes can be found from any Millennium module by clicking Admin, Parameters, General, Item Types. If you need to make a large change in Itype assignment consult with Maine InfoNet staff to determine whether the change can be made centrally without a lot of local work on your part.