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Transition to OCLC:
Information for SCLS member libraries

Background and Recommendation
Terminology
Questions about the change
Documentation and Training
Alternatives

Background and Recommendation:

Remember that, although Madison Public Library recommended this change, to OCLC from WISCAT, they did so on behalf of the SCLS public library community, in order to make ILL processing faster and easier, and result in better service for our patrons.  For more background, please see Proposal to use OCLC for all SCLS ILL Requests.

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Terminology:

• WorldCat:  The worldwide union catalog database we use for interlibrary loan.
• FirstSearch:  The user interface we use to search WorldCat.
• OCLC: The vendor of both WorldCat and FirstSearch.
• Group Catalog:  A way of arranging WorldCat which allows users to easily search various subsets of WorldCat, or the entire WorldCat database. 
• BadgerCat:  Wisconsin's WorldCat Group Catalog, which allows users to easily search various subsets ("scopes") of WorldCat, or the entire WorldCat database.  Scopes and their definitions include:
  • Wisconsin Libraries:  Wisconsin libraries of all types whose holdings are in WorldCat.
  • Wisconsin Public Libraries:  Wisconsin public libraries whose holdings are in WorldCat.
  • Wisconsin Colleges and Universities:  Libraries at Wisconsin universities and colleges whose holdings are in WorldCat.
  • South Central Library System:  LINKcat, Marshfield Public Library, and Portage County Public Library.
  • Libraries of South Central Library System:  Libraries of all types in the 7 SCLS counties (Adams, Columbia, Dane, Green, Portage, Sauk, Wood) whose holdings are in WorldCat.
  • MN, SD, ND, and WI libraries:  Libraries of all types in these states whose holdings are in WorldCat.  (This scope can also be thought of as "MINITEX libraries plus Wisconsin libraries.") 
  • Libraries Worldwide:  The entire WorldCat database. 

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Questions about the change:

Why did you make this change?
See Background and Recommendation above.

What if I have a patron with a reference or subject question? How do I place this type of request?
You can still place these requests by using the SCLS online Interlibrary Loan Subject/Reference Request Form (SCLS member libraries only)

Can I check on the status of requests I have placed with WorldCat?
Yes. Information on how to do this can be found in 2 documents: Using FirstSearch WorldCat for ILL (PDF) and 'My Request' Messages (PDF)

What if I prefer WISCAT ILL over WorldCat?
See the Alternatives section below.

Are we getting more things from out of state, rather than from within Wisconsin, than we did with WISCAT ILL?
Perhaps. Sometimes WISCAT may indicate that several Wisconsin libraries own an item. Since not as many Wisconsin public libraries have put their holdings in OCLC, in some cases Madison Interloan may have to go out-of-state.

Are there any out-of-state libraries that are available through Delivery?
Yes. Items received from libraries in Minnesota, North Dakota, or South Dakota may be returned via Delivery, even if they came to you in the mail, IF they are MINITEX's Delivery Network.  Put them in the same type of packaging they came in, label them for “MINITEX,” and return them in Delivery.

Why do I have to pay to mail things back to out-of-state lenders? It is costing my library more money, because of all of the things I'm returning to libraries in other states.
Madison Interloan will try to obtain items from within Wisconsin, but will go out of state if necessary. Delivery service allows you to return things to many Wisconsin libraries, but usually not to out-of-state libraries. MINITEX libraries are an exception (see the above question).

You have already been paying to return things to other states, since Reference and Loan stopped paying for these returns, and to those Wisconsin libraries that aren’t on the state Delivery system. It is hoped that you won’t notice an insurmountable increase in the number of items you need to return to out-of-state libraries by mail.

As explained in the Proposal to use OCLC, if Madison Interloan had continued to use WISCAT ILL, they would have needed to add additional staff because of the inefficiencies in that product, and eventually SCLS would have to pass those costs on to our libraries, on a cost-sharing basis. The cost of postage for returning these out-of-state items is a lesser amount.

What if I don’t want to pay to return things out-of-state?
Each library has a Direct Request Book Profile, and a Direct Request Audiovisual Profile, which indicate whether or not the library wants to go out of state for requested items.  If you want to change your preferences for either of these profiles, contact Madison Interloan at 608-266-5302, or . 

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Documentation and Training:

• See the Help and Documentation page for documentation on using FirstSearch WorldCat for ILL, as well as other ILL documentation resources.
  
• If you or anyone on your public library staff require training in using FirstSearch WorldCat, contact Madison Interloan at 608-266-5302, or by email.

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Alternatives:

We recommend that all SCLS public libraries use WorldCat for placing and managing your ILL requests, and this is the method we will support. We do not recommend that any library use WISCAT for interlibrary loan. However, if you prefer to use WISCAT ILL for your ILL needs, you are welcome to do so independently. This means:

• You will purchase your own WISCAT ILL license each year.
  
• Your library will become both a borrower and lender on WISCAT ILL. You may ask Reference and Loan staff for training on being a lender.
  
• Your library will be your own default in WISCAT ILL. This means that if a request cannot be filled after going to every owning library in WISCAT, the request will come back to you. At that point, you can tell your patron it will not be filled, or you may choose to try WorldCat.

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For more information about Interlibrary Loan, contact Cheryl Becker.

For information about using WorldCat to place requests for your patrons, or to check on the status of WorldCat requests you have placed, contact Madison Interloan by email.

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