Lender list build process

The lender list build process in the NHAIS ILL System determines where your request will be routed. You don't really need to know the details below but understanding how the process works will answer questions like "Why didn't my request go that library when I know they hold the title?"

The lender list build process happens behind the scenes right after you submit an individual request. The request is usually in Awaiting Lenders status less than a minute before it becomes Pending at the first potential lender. With a multi-copy request, the lender list is built before you submit the request--the program first has to establish that there are enough copies held at libraries around the state.

The lender list build process takes the information in the record you chose to create your request (the "source record") and searches the catalogs in the NHAIS ILL System for matching records. The program also checks lending policies before adding a library to the lender list. Once all potential lenders are determined for the list, the locations are sorted according to the Preferred Lender List assigned to each borrower.

Matching criteria are tweaked from time to time to minimize the false positives and false negatives that come up when trying a establish matches across millions of MARC records from hundreds of sources. As of this writing, matching occurs as detailed below. All gathered targets are searched for the first match point available from the ILL request information, then any remaining libraries that were not successfully matched are used to search the next match point, and so on.

ISBN and ISSN
-Searches up to first 3 numbers in record..
-If match is found, no additional validation occurs.
-If no match, moves to next match point.

OCLC Number, LCCN, and UPC (Other Standard Identifier)
-Searches first number.
-If match is found, validation includes:
a. Title
b. Format, if lending policy is used
-If no match, moves to next match point.

Publisher Number
-Searches first number.
-If match is found, validation includes:
a. Publisher Source or Title
b. Format, if lending policy is used
-If no match, moves to next match point.

Title/Author
-Both Title and Author must be present in the ILL request data to perform this search.
-If match is found, validation includes:
a. Publisher date and publisher name
b. Format, if lending policy is used

In the absence of standard numbers or an author in the source record, the program will resort to the following:

Title
- Requires an exact match on normalized titles.
Normalization information:
-Everything before the bracket (245 $a $b $n $p) is used
-Strips symbols and double spaces, lower all cases, changes “&” to “and”
-If match is found, validation includes:
a. Publisher information
b. Format, if lending policy is used
-If no match on the final match point, the lender is not added.

Even if a location makes it onto a lender list, that doesn't guarantee the library will ever see the request. Once a request is Shipped by a lender, none of the libraries below it on the lender list will see the request. Also, when it's time to send the request to a particular lender on the list, the program runs some checks again and others for the first time to ensure the most up-to-date availability. A "no" to any of these questions will lead SHAREit to skip over a potential lender in the list:
-Does the lender still own the item?
-Does the lender still lend the format?
-Is the library currently accepting requests?
-Is the item showing an "available" shelf status (for Z-targets that provide that information)?