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Home > Minerva > Circulation > Between Minerva Sites

Requesting and Lending Between Minerva Sites

The procedure below must be followed in borrowing and lending among Minerva libraries and reflects Title Priority Paging functionality.

Underlying policy is described on the Intra-Minerva Request Policy page. Procedures for lending and borrowing between a Minerva library and a MaineCat library outside of Minerva are described on the MaineCat Requesting Procedures page. Additional information can be found in the online manual beginning at section 105118.

Transactions In Brief

  1. Place requests through the Minerva web OPAC at http://Minerva.maine.edu. Even if this is being done by the library staff, you should use the web OPAC to place the request, rather than using the Circulation Module. There are protections through the OPAC requesting that are not there when you use the Millennium staff module and prevent you requesting an unavailable item.
  2. The lending library prints a Title Paging List, retrieves a matching item, scans it in Check In to set it IN TRANSIT, ships the matching item.
  3. The borrowing library checks the item in, puts it on the holdshelf, notifies the patron, checks the item out to the patron. Upon return the library scans the item in Check In mode, chooses Set IN TRANSIT and Check In, ships the item back to lending library.
  4. The lending library checks in the item, concluding the transaction.

Transactions In Detail

1. Request is made

Patron or Library Staff member places request in Minerva catalog.
... relies on system to select lending library (unless work is in multiple volumes).
... clicks Search MaineCat button to make request at the MaineCat Statewide Catalog level if Minerva lacks available copy.
... can cancel request from View Patron Info if lender has not already acted on request.
Minerva authenticates patron based on name and barcode, confirms there are no blocks on borrowing privileges and that patron is in good standing
... chooses owning library to receive page based on available items and loan rule logic, puts request in library's Title Paging List queue, leaves request as a bib-level hold.

2. Owning library deals with request

Owning Library prints Title Paging List daily from the Notices mode of Millennium 
... retrieves matching from the shelf any copy of the paged title
... follows transfer/cancel procedure below if the item cannot be sent.
... responds by printing Transit Slip if system asks staff to send out an item at check in time (Paging Slips are not printed for item in circulation, or after a requested item has been returned) .

All Libraries print Hold Cancellation Notices regularly and notify requesting patrons of cancelled requests as necessary.

3. Owning library ships item

Owning library scans item in Check In mode. (Sounds odd at first... Think "Check This Item For Holds" and it seems more logical)
Minerva gives the choice: Fulfill hold | Checkin, do not fill hold | Cancel hold | Cancel.
Owning library normally selects "Fulfill Hold" (NEVER select "Cancel hold")
Minerva asks "Print Transit Slip?". (Say Yes)
... sets Status of the item to IN TRANSIT.
Owning library ships item to patron's library, enclosing Transit Slip.
If a copy to meet the request cannot be found... change the item Status to Missing. In 72 hrs the system will move the request to the next library with an Available item, or stop paging and leave a bib level hold if there are no Available copies. Do not cancel the hold unless your library owns the only item attached to the bib record. (For item level holds that cannot be filled, see Transferring and Canceling Item Level Holds.

4. Borrowing library receives item

Patron's library receives item, scans it in Check In mode.
Minerva says, "Item status is IN TRANSIT and has been cleared." (Click OK)
... says, "Put on holdshelf at Somewhere Library for Jane Doe. Pickup notice will be printed. Print slip to place in book?" ( Click Yes or No as you wish. Note that, unlike Transit Slip, the Hold Slip will contain patron name and phone #.)
Minerva says, "Item is not checked out, check in ignored." (Click OK)
Patron's library notifies patron that book is available. Possible methods: Print Pickup Notices daily. (Patrons with email addresses get them via email); call by phone based on Hold Slip or Paging Slip
Minerva sets Status of item automatically to ON HOLDSHELF.

5. Patron borrows item

Patron's library checks item out to patron. Loan period starts now.
Minerva OPAC shows due date in Status column.

6. Patron returns item

Patron uses item, returns the item to her/his library.
Overdue notices and bills are generated by the owning library.

7. Item returned to owning library

Patron's library scans item in Check In mode.
Minerva gives choice: Do NOT check-in | CHECK-IN. | Set STATUS to in transit;  do not check-in | Set status to in TRANSIT; check-in.
Patron's library selects the 4th option.
Minerva says "Item belongs at location Somewhere Library. Print transit slip?"
Patron's library says yes, places slip in item, ships it back to owning library.
Minerva sets Status of item to IN TRANSIT.

8. Item received by owning library

Owning library scans item in Check In
Minerva says is IN TRANSIT and has been cleared.
Owning library reshelves the item.

Transferring and Canceling Item Level Holds

With Title Priority Paging an item level hold is only created when owning library staff have the item in hand and are ready to put the item IN TRANSIT, except for instances where there are multiple volumes and the page must be done at the item level.

If an item requested on a Title Paging List cannot be found, however, all you need do is change item Status to Missing. The system will automatically re-page the item from another location with an Available copy after 72 hrs. If there are no Available copies at that point, it will stop paging and leave the request as a bib level hold.

In the case that you receive a request for a specific item (via Paging Slip, NOT on a Title Paging List) and if it is missing, or otherwise unavailable, please follow these procedures.

  • If there are other Available items attached to the same bib record, highlight the item in the Holds/Bookings view of the MilCirc summary list, click the MilCirc Transfer Holds button, click the down arrow to view item record numbers, and select one whose item has a Status of Available as target of the move.
  • When asked whether to print a Paging Slip (at the lending library), say Yes -- This is how the new lender finds out that a request has been transferred.
  • If your copy is missing, let MilCirc apply a Status of "Missing" to it when prompted. Otherwise, go back and change Status to something other than Available.
  • If there are no other currently Available items attached to the same bib record, cancel the hold and choose the "Minerva drop hold" message.

Routine Tasks

  • Daily - Print Title Paging List, Item Paging Slips (these should be infrequent), retrieve and scan matching items.
  • Daily (if needed) - Print Hold Pickup Notices daily, if they are used to notify patrons that a requested item has arrived. If they are not used for this purpose, print them weekly to your email to keep the file from building up.
  • Twice a week - Run the MilCirc Transfer Paged Items function to view and identify those of your patrons' requests that have been paged without response for at least 72 hours. It may be necessary to cancel and place a bib level hold again. Note that expired patron borrowing privileges or other patron blocks may explain why a hold has not performed as expected.
  • Weekly - Print Hold Cancellation Notices and use them to notify your patrons of requests and holds that will not be filled.
  • Weekly - Run Clear the Holdshelf from MilCirc. This will allow you to produce a list of items on the Holdshelf that have been there longer than the wait time specified in the applicable loan rule as well as clear requests with a Not Needed After date that has just passed.