As of July 1, 2013, the Missouri State Library will no longer be a community partner with WebJunction. Missouri libraries’ access to the self-paced courses in the WebJunction Courses catalog will end June 30, 2013. Library staffs who currently do not have course access can register here until June 14, 2013. All courses must be completed and certificates printed by June 30, 2013.

The nation-wide WebJunction site will still be open for use by any library staff member. Missouri libraries may also continue to enroll in WebJunction-sponsored webinars through the WebJunction events calendar. To receive advance notice of webinars, library staff may subscribe to the Crossroads e-newsletter by entering an e-mail address.

New WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Web Trainings Rescheduled for Missouri Public Libraries

14 May 2013

OCLC is providing the following targeted web trainings in June:

o   WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Getting Started-

·         Tuesday, June 11, 2:00 pm                             Register

o   WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Borrowing-

·         Wednesday, June 12, 2:00 pm                        Register

o   WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Lending-

·         Thursday, June 13, 2:00 pm                            Register

o   WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Custom Holdings- 

·         Tuesday, June 18, 2:00 pm                             Register

o   WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Deflection-

·         Wednesday, June 19, 2:00 pm                        Register

 ✽  ALL online classes will start at 2:00 pm Central Time and will last approximately 2 hours.

During these sessions, OCLC will hold training classes specifically for members of the Show Me The World resource sharing group. Your training has been developed in this way to give you the opportunity to learn the new service with other public library interlibrary loan staff in your state.

DON’T FORGET THESE IMPORTANT FIRST STEPS PRIOR TO ATTENDING TRAINING!

Step 1: Register your library

Your first step toward using WorldShare Interlibrary Loan is to complete the Missouri registration form. We will confirm your interest in beginning to use the new service and give you information about the next steps you need to take.
Note:  It is important to register for the WorldShare Interlibrary Loan service before completing any other steps, including registering for training (below).

Step 2: Establish new user accounts

You will need to set up new OCLC user accounts for WorldShare Interlibrary Loan before taking the borrowing and lending sessions.  This new account will replace the 9-digit authorization number and password you currently use to access WorldCat Resource Sharing. 

If you would like to do this step on your own, you will find information about creating new user accounts in the “Create Your New WorldShare ILL Account” tutorial and in the “Creating an account” section of this "Getting Started" document.

Step 3: Consult WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Training and Documentation

Several types of resources are available to help you become familiar with WorldShare Interlibrary Loan. 

NOTE: The above training sessions are for public libraries only.  If you are a public library that has missed those sessions, or if you are from another type of library, you are welcome to learn about WorldShare Interlibrary Loan through the training resources available here.

Two types of training are available to library staff.

Self-paced
Self-paced training can be taken at times that fit your schedule. This option includes comprehensive video tutorials and documentation that cover responses to frequently asked questions about issues you may encounter. The video tutorials can be viewed at any time, individually or all at once. Self-paced training meets the needs of staff that cannot fit live training into their schedules, people who prefer to learn about WorldShare on their own and staff seeking a refresher course.

Live Online
Live online training is offered for library staff that want to get some hands-on experience while interacting with an OCLC trainer. During these sessions, trainers will lecture and walk through basic steps. Attendees may then try different aspects of the service through a simulation system. This option allows librarians to practice using WorldShare Interlibrary Loan features that they will encounter in the new service. This type of training corresponds to the scheduled dates listed above

Prepare now for your transition
There are a number of things you can do to prepare for your use of the new WorldShare Interlibrary Loan service.  More information is available at the OCLC Migration Website.  In particular, you should enter new Constant Data (click on “How to prepare for your use of WorldShare Interlibrary Loan” on the left-hand side of the page.  Your current Constant Data will not migrate correctly to the new platform, as it is configured differently in the new system.

If you have questions about this upcoming migration and the training sessions for public libraries, please contact Carl Wingo (carl.wingo@sos.mo.gov) at the Missouri State Library.

If you experience technical difficulties with the registration links or services on the OCLC migration website, please call OCLC Technical Support at 800-848-5878.

Interlibrary Loan and the Courier Service Level the Playing Field for Medium-sized and Small Libraries

02 April 2013

State Library staff recently interviewed eight public library directors about their usage of the Show Me The World interlibrary loan and courier services. These libraries were selected because of their high level of interlibrary loan requests relative to the number of people served by their district. Service area populations for the group range from 3,000 up to 34,000. Five questions were asked of each library director, and excerpts of their responses appear below.

The libraries interviewed were:
Canton Public Library: Susan Lowman, Director
Centralia Public Library: Pat Olsen, Director
Festus Public Library: Kathy Condon-Boettcher, Director
Heartland Regional Library: Thea Roberts, Director
Hickory County Library: Stacy Coulsell, Director
Livingston County Library: Robin Westphal, Director
Nevada Public Library: Jodi Polk, Director
Oregon County Library: Judy Wright, Director
Poplar Bluff Public Library: Sue Crites Szostak, Director

State Library: What Factors Drive Your Use of ILL and How Do Your Patrons View It?

Heartland Regional Library:
“They are enamored and amazed that we can get them this stuff. We receive a lot of compliments on this service. It’s a wonderful system that you have. For us, it’s not just about materials, it’s about people. We couldn’t serve our patrons if it wasn’t for interlibrary loan.”

Centralia Public Library:
“It’s become second nature to say, ‘if we don’t have it, we’ll get it via interlibrary loan.’ Our book budget is only $27,000, so ILL has totally made our book budget stretch further. It just changes the way a small library can do business. The courier service has made a huge difference, a phenomenal one. If there are other small libraries that aren’t using this service, they should reconsider. The interlibrary loan system works so well and is so easy that it’s a huge disservice to community if you don’t offer ILL. If the patrons ever found out about it, they’d demand it”

Poplar Bluff Public Library:
“We have a ‘Don’t Say No’ policy. For 10 years our book budget has been static, so it’s often been easier to use interlibrary loan.”

Hickory County Library:
“We really enjoy the ILL service. It allows us to make up for where our budget is lacking. We’d like to have every book that the Library of Congress owns! We’re a rural community and this service is really important to us – it allows us to keep up with patron demand.”

Livingston County Library:
“It’s one of the best services that we can offer as a mid-size to small library. The way that we present it to the public is important: we say that ILL makes our library as big as any library in the country because we have access to all the materials out there. As we see resources that we don’t have, it’s become more important for staff to promote this service. It’s the best way that we can get something people needs into their hands quickly, and the courier no cost made it easier to promote.”

Nevada Public Library:
“The first thing that we tell a patron when they can’t find a book is, ‘If you can’t find it, we can get it.’ That’s our go-to phrase. Now that the courier is available, we make sure to tell them it’s a free service. One of our librarians is an avid reader and she loves being able to get resources that we don’t have here. She shares her experiences with other patrons and they’ll end up getting five books instead of two. Her personal drive to promote the service is great!  It’s certainly nice for a library of our size to have a limitless collection.”

Festus Public Library:
“Our frequent patrons love the program and appreciate it tremendously and always let us know how much they like. We try to make our staff more aware of ILL and the kinds of things you can get via ILL that are not in our library. Typical materials requested are audiobooks, older books not in the collection (mainly fiction), lots of fiction, lots of large print, and nonfiction on occasion, especially for students.”

Canton Public Library:
“This has helped so much because we have limited funds. Our patrons are finding authors they like and then want the other books by that author that we don’t have. New people to our library are surprised that we offer this service. “

Oregon County Library:
“We got off to a real solid start years ago when the State Library was paying for the first 100 interlibrary loan requests (prior to Show Me The World – editor). About that same time, the community college started in West Plains and we wanted to give our kids every advantage that came along. We thought, ‘We’re a small rural library district- hey, this is something we can really tap into.’ Patrons loved it. The book budget did not allow us to buy every book, but we could afford the postage for all and the courier just made it better! Patrons love the challenge of finding books themselves, while others want to give us the author’s name and say, ‘give me the 2 books in the series that I’ve missed.’ I would tell library directors that aren’t using ILL that they’re missing something, a way to give another service back to the patrons. It is work, but not overwhelming. They’re missing the boat if they don’t take advantage of it.”

State Library: Who Among Your Patrons Uses ILL the Most?  Any Good Stories?

Centralia Public Library:
“We share an ILS with the school district and run a route between all four campuses and the library to deliver books. The school district lets us know about upcoming projects so we can assemble material via interlibrary loan. Students have been very responsible borrowers – there’s no difference from adults.”

Hickory County Library:
“The bulk of them are students and retired people – the latter are a majority in our community.  They like to read history and genealogy and ILL helps them to avoid long waiting lists on best sellers.”

Livingston County Library:
“There’s no common denominator, it ranges from a whole class of high school seniors working on research topics for which we have only 1-2 books, to regular patrons that make requests almost every week. For them it’s usually either a series or genre that we don’t have. They are self-sufficient and they access WorldCat from our website.”

Nevada Public Library:
“We had a family from Africa that wanted information on books from home and they were able to find books published in their native language. They were thrilled to get their hands on it – it was a bedtime story that the mother had read as a child.”

Festus Public Library:
“A good majority of our patrons uses interlibrary loan.”

Canton Public Library:
“Our patrons request mostly fiction and it’s by far the most popular product. The Internet has made a big difference on patrons’ use of non-fiction: for example, they can get a book on birdhouses or an Internet page printed out for 20 cents. There was even a man in California who called one day and said, ‘I see that you have this book and there’s only 3 in the US – would you look this up for me?’”

Oregon County Library:
“In Alton, high school students work with English teachers quite a bit to request books for their classes and the 6^th grade teacher also has a book club: couple of time a year she wants multiple copies of the same title. “

State Library: How Do You Promote Interlibrary Loan?

Centralia Public Library:
“For our staff it’s second nature. A link to interlibrary loan is up on the circulation computer at all times – sometimes they can tell a patron right then and there about availability. All of our staff is trained on the OCLC ILL software.”

Poplar Bluff Public Library:
“Everything is very patron-centered. Our staff has a feel for what’s going to make for good customer service. They go to the patrons at the public computers and walk them through the Patron Initiated Request process. The Patron Initiated Request feature in OCLC’s ILL has always been turned on, but we’ve never pushed it. Now as part of our remodeling process and the ‘making your library better’ campaign, we’ve begun to publicize it.”

Hickory County Library:
“Last year when we started the e-book service, we landed ourselves on the front page of the local newspaper. We told them: ‘Don’t let our size fool you, we can get you books from anywhere in the US.’”

Livingston County Library:
“We have an online resources pamphlet at the front desk which includes OCLC ILL. Our reference librarians help patrons to place requests and we give out the OCLC authorization and password to patrons that use interlibrary loan the most. We take requests verbally, by e-mail, and via OCLC’s Patron Initiated Request feature.”

Festus Public Library:
“There’s a sign on our catalogs that says ‘we can get books via ILL.’ It’s also mentioned in our welcome flyers that people receive when they get a library card or when Welcome Wagon visits newcomers to our community.”

Canton Public Library:
“Our staff is trained to offer ILL and they tell patrons that there’s no charge.”

State Library: Do you use ILL requests to guide your purchase of new books?

Heartland Regional Library
“Yes we do. If we get a lot of ILL requests for something that’s new and not yet purchased, such as 50 Shades of Gray (we had so many requests for it!), we’ll go ahead and buy it.”

Poplar Bluff Public Library:
“Yes, if we start noticing certain trends. For example, last year there was a Janet Evanovich audiobook that everyone wanted and we couldn’t get it on interlibrary loan, so we decided to buy it.”

Livingston County Library:
“Yes, we buy both fiction and non-fiction based on the ILL requests that we get.”

Nevada Public Library:
“Yes, we do. If there’s an ILL request for a book twice, it’s considered for purchase.”

Festus Public Library:
“Yes, we do look at purchasing items that are frequently requested.”

State Library: Do you lend as well as borrow?

Heartland Regional Library
“We always lend to other libraries: often it’s new books and audio-visual materials. We fill lots of out of state requests: for example, we recently sent an older western to New Mexico.”

Poplar Bluff Public Library:
“We appreciate the libraries that are willing to loan to us and we’re always happy to return the favor.”

Hickory County Library:
“We’ve loaned to Princeton University and a private investigator’s crime lab borrowed one of our crime books because it covered a Kansas City crime (Monster, by Steve Jackson).”

Oregon County Library:
“We didn’t do so much at the beginning, but it has grown over the years. Mid-Continent Public Library, Springfield-Greene County Library, and St. Louis Public Library have all requested older non-fiction and fiction books from us. We’ve also had some out-of-state requests: for example, ‘Blood and Guts: the ultimate approach to building muscle and body mass – Ft. Worth, TX (published in the1980s)’ was one we loaned out.”

Gentry County Library District

Shall there be an operating levy tax increase of $0.10 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation over the present $0.20 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation for the Gentry County Library District?
The debt service tax levy of $0.10 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation expired after Tax Year 2011. If this Proposition is approved by the voters, the total tax levy will be $0.30 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation, which is the same as the total tax levy for Tax Year 2011.

Candidate    Votes        %Votes

Yes .  .  .  .  .    776            66%

No .  .  .  .  .  .  400            34%

Sedalia Public Library

Shall there be a tax increase of $0.07 that will sunset in 25 years and be used for building repairs, renovations and maintenance over the present $0.25 tax for the Sedalia Public Library?

Candidate    Votes        %Votes

Yes.  .  .  .  .    637            61%

No .  .  .  .  .    402            39%

Taney County Library District

Shall the Taney County Library District be authorized to levy a tax of fifteen cents ($.15) per one hundred dollar of assessed valuation for library purposes?

Candidate    Votes        %Votes

No .  .  .  .  .      3,565            65%

Yes .  .  .  .  .    1,944            35%

Proposition L – Bollinger County

For the purpose of paying the costs of replacing aging and floodprone buildings, constructing, improving, expanding, operating and maintaining archive and other library facilities and acquiring necessary property, shall the $0.20 per hundred dollars assessed valuation tax for the Bollinger County Library District be increased to $0.57 per hundred dollars assessed valuation, such tax increase to be terminated automatically 20 years after the imposition thereof?

Candidate    Votes        %Votes

No .  .  .  .  .     811            77%

Yes .  .  .  .  .   240            23%