Additional info on the ILL profiling process -- two weeks in

The NHAIS Help Desk has been very busy since the "Time to Sign Up for NHAIS ILL" message went out. We're doing our best to keep up but please understand there may be delays in getting back to you.

Many of the questions we've received relate to whether answering the surveys one way or another locks a library into the choice. No, you can change your mind later. You need to choose either the Z39.50 or the union catalog option now -- and that is how you will be set up for the initial launch of the system--but that can be changed later (depending on your local system's capabilities). One choice you can save for later is the patron-initiated request option; some libraries are waiting to see how this works in training before opting in.

In order for your library to be part of the system at launch, we need to have the following completed and submitted by September 3:
 --a NHAIS ILL agreement (printed)
 --a NHAIS ILL Profile Survey (online)
 --either a Z39.50 Configuration Survey or a Union Database Configuration Survey (both online)

With these materials (and the SIP2 Configuration Survey if you want to enable patron-initiated ILL requests) submitted, your library will have an account in the new NHAIS ILL System on the go-live date. If, for any reason, there's a major problem configuring the connection to your library (for those choosing the Z39.50 option) or getting your data loaded (for union database libraries choosing the option to provide a full extract from the local catalog), we can always carry over your holdings from the current NHU-PAC if necessary to get you going.

The list of local library systems found in our surveys is based on information submitted by New Hampshire libraries last fall. This information was shared with Auto-Graphics, which provided us with lists of systems known to work well with the SHAREit ILL program via Z39.50 and those not up to the task. If your system is one of those for which the union database is the only option, it's usually because the system either doesn't have any Z39.50 capabilities or has such capabilities but not enough muscle to handle the traffic from SHAREit, dragging down both your local system and our statewide catalog. We are following the advice of our vendor, who certainly knows their system better than we do at this point, to implement our new system so it works as well as possible for the NHAIS library community as a whole.

The wording of the NHAIS ILL Agreement you're asked to print and sign hasn't change in years and this has raised a few questions. Signees agree "to add holdings for all current acquisitions cataloged by our library to the NHU-PAC in a timely manner." With our new system, many libraries will be sharing their holdings with the NHU-PAC via a Z39.50 connection rather than sending us files of new acquisitions as they have in the past; this still counts as complying with the agreement. Adding holdings into your local system and keeping a working Z39.50 connection open or sending files of records are mechanisms for complying with your obligation to make your holdings available to other NHAIS ILL participants. Signees also agree "to answer all ILL requests within 24 hours." That's 24 hours from the time you see the incoming request, not 24 hours from the time the request is created in the system.

Busy though we may be, please contact the NHAIS Help Desk if you need further guidance getting signed up for the new NHAIS ILL System. You can reach us by e-mail or phone 271-2141.