Our most common use case for “Reading Room” circulation pertains to items we’ve borrowed using Interlibrary Loan that come with the restriction to circulate the material as “Building Use Only”. So far, our approach to offering this type of circulation has been to program same day due dates in FOLIO by relying on item loan type. As an aside, we use Illiad to create item records and requests in FOLIO to support all Interlibrary Loan circulation; items that are building use only are assigned a specific loan type in the item record and pickup service point in the request.
Items are checked in at a specific service point and added to the hold shelf; they receive a standard one week hold period, which we ignore but will additionally often have to disabuse patrons of, since they receive notices with that hold expiration date.
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We check items out to patrons for them to consult in our Reading Room, advising them that the item should be returned before closing in order to avoid becoming overdue. FOLIO assigns a due time at the end of the day and sends notices reminding patrons to return the item.
When the item is returned it is checked in. We have to ask the patron whether they are done consulting the item, in which case we will route the item to our Interlibrary Loan department. If they still wish to consult it or don’t say one way or another, the routing message we receive from FOLIO (a message notifying the desk attendant the item should be put in transit to our Interlibrary Loan department) also has to be ignored so the item can be placed back on the hold shelf.
Instead, we keep the item on the hold shelf, honoring the item’s real due date, which is determined by the lender and printed on a paper book band or flag that is kept with the item. The chief problem is that the item is no longer awaiting pickup in FOLIO and there is no request in FOLIO associating the item with the patron who needs it. After the first time the item is checked out, we have to rely on the paper slip in the item rather than FOLIO. When the patron comes to consult the item again, we check it out again, and the loan type / circ rule allows the same “due at the end of the day” loan with associated notices.
Outside of ILL, there are frequent scenarios when patrons without borrowing privileges would like to keep a small collection of items on the hold shelf to come consult repeatedly, as well as patrons who wish to consult building use only they cannot locate. We would be grateful to have a solution that allows us to accomplish this type of circulation in addition to solving our ILL Building Use Only problems. A solution that keeps the item on the hold shelf associated with the patron, allows for further notices to be sent, etc. would be ideal.