Why didn't I see that multi-copy request?

Responding to a recent letter to the NHAIS-ILL e-mail list seeking help with a multi-copy request that failed to yield the desired number of copies marked Shipped, a writer offered a copy and wondered why she never saw a request for the title in the NHAIS ILL System.

To answer that, suppose the borrower needs 4 copies and the NHAIS ILL System says it's found 8 potential lenders.

When the request is submitted, the system creates 4 requests, each having 2 potential lenders in the lender list. No locations are duplicated among the different lender lists. (For details on how lender lists are created for multi-copy requests, see a post from September 2021.)

If your library was second in the lender list and the first library marked the request Shipped, you'd never see the request. 

For borrowers, the Rebuild Lender List button on the Borrower's Full Record Display is an option to start over on a single-copy request but it's not designed for multi-copy requests even though the button is there. Sending a message to the NHAIS-ILL e-mail list is often the best option for borrowers when the NHAIS ILL System can't come up with the required number of copies.