by Kate Boyle

The Resource Sharing Service is at present reduced to staffing by Edlyn LeFevour to 4 days a week since I have joined the SWAN staff as the Member Services Manager.  Edlyn will be in the office to assist public libraries with Reciprocal Borrowing questions and to process billing and collections for SWAN libraries that have contracted for her services.  Reciprocal Borrowing will continue to supply the 21140 barcodes and black Metropolitan Library System cards for Chicago reciprocal borrowers and encourages all libraries to make the cards as we move forward.   Edlyn will continue to offer training and to participate in workshops on Reciprocal Borrowing and SWAN MilCirc topics. 

At present, the Union List of Serials(ULS) will continue to be available, however, MLS will no longer be sending holdings data to OCLC.  Libraries continued participation in the ULS is optional at this point in time.  If a library no longer wishes to update their serials data in more than one place, please send an email to metroill@mls.lib.il.us requesting that your holdings data be removed from the ULS as it will no longer be current.  In the future, the serials holdings for the SWAN member libraries will now be updated on OCLC when the SWAN quarterly tapes are send to TMQ for processing.  Previously, this data was stripped from the tapes when they were processed.   All other Union List of Serials participants will need to update their serials holdings with OCLC directly or through DOCLINE.  For your information, the most recent update of the MLS Union List of Serials data was sent to OCLC in March 2010 and has not as yet been processed.  If you wish to continue entering data for your serials in the ULS project, feel free to use the online forms when you need a new title record created.  Edlyn has been creating these as time permits and is happy to continue to do so.  

For anyone needing assistance in Interlibrary Loan, please subscribe to the MLS Resource Sharing mail list.  To subscribe, send an email to MLS-ILL-request@mls.lib.il.us with "subscribe" in the subject line of your message. Once you have subscribed, feel free to initiate and contribute to any Resource Sharing discussions.  I will be monitoring the mailing list and will reply on my personal time, but more importantly other ILL practitioners at the MLS libraries will be able to view your questions or concerns and reply.   I am encourage everyone to subscribe and use the mailing list.  Your peers throughout the System have a great deal of practical knowledge and experience and are more than willing to share it.  The monthly “Let’s Talk Resource Sharing” will be limited to presentations by Edlyn on Reciprocal Borrowing or presentations by me on Resource Sharing for SWAN libraries.  

As to the MLS Resource Sharing web pages, the Resource Sharing blog is being archived.  I will be monitoring the web pages and keeping the links current on my personal time.   The forms for International ILL and Photocopy requests will be deleted. Libraries can still use the supply request forms for routing labels and “Your Public Library Card” brochures.  As to the verification forms, the MLS Resource Sharing bibliographic collection is still housed at MLS and I would be pleased to volunteer to put it to good use doing advanced verification for anyone in MLS that needs assistance. Please feel free to use the form http://www.mls.lib.il.us/resource_sharing/ill/ill-verification.php or call  (630-734-5160). 

Published June 23, 2010 in vol. 4, iss. 12 [View]