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September 26, 2006

Aleph Libraries

The MINITEX office is now using Aleph to refer requests to many North Dakota libraries. Currently we are still unable to use Aleph to transmit requests to South Dakota because our states are on different versions of the software. Currently, we expect to begin referrals via Aleph to South Dakota after that system has been updated to version 18.

The following is a list of locations for which MINITEX uses Aleph to transmit requests:

ALEPH Libraries

MINNESOTA

OCLC Library Name

ACO Riverland CC – Austin
ANR Anoka Ramsey Comm. College-Coon Rapids
ANT Anoka Tech. College
BNC Central Lakes College
CAD Minneapolis College of Art & Design
CKK Concordia College – Moorhead
D4W Dunwoody Institute
DT5 Lake Superior College
HCC Hibbing Community College
LCO Century College
MAG MN Attorney General’s Office
MBE Bethany Lutheran
MCO Minneapolis Community & Tech College
MCR University of Minnesota, Crookston
MCV Mesabi Range Community and Technical College
MDF MN Pollution Control Agency
MDH MN Department of Health
MDN MN Department of Natural Resource
MDT MN Dept of Transportation
MEG MN Dept of Em. & Ec. Development
MFF MN State Comm. & Tech. College, Fergus Falls
MHS Minnesota Historical Society
MIC Itasca Community College
MIH Inver Hills CC
MLR MN Legislative Reference Library
MNB Bemidji State University
MNF College of St. Benedict
MNG Gustavus Adolphus
MNI Winona State University
MNJ St. Johns University
MNS St Scholastica College
MNM Minnesota State University Mankato
MNR Hill Reference
MNV SW Minnesota State University
MNY St. Mary’s Univ Winona
MRU MN Dept of Revenue
MSL Minnesota State Law Library
MST St. Cloud State
MUC Perpich Center for Arts & Education
MUO Minnesota State University Moorhead
NHE North Hennepin CC
NOR Normandale CC
NTC Northland Comm. & Tech. College, Thief River Falls
P2D Rasmussen College
RCC University Center-Rochester
RRC Rainy River Community College
SBU Minnesota School of Business
SPB Crown College
VCC Vermillion Community College
WCO Ridgewater College Willmar
WEH St Cloud Tech College
WOR MN West CTC – Worthington
X02 Pine Technical College
XOH Saint Paul Technical College
XOJ Metro State University
XOR St. Mary’s University – Twin Cities
XOS Alexandria Technical College
XOT Dakota County TC
XOU South Central College – Faribault
XOV Hennepin Tech & Comm. College-Brooklyn Park
XOW Hennepin Tech & Comm. College-Eden Prairie
XOY South Central College – Mankato
XPO Riverland CC – Albert Lea
XQC Anoka Ramsey Comm. College-Cambridge
XQG MN West CTC – Granite Falls
XQH Ridgewater College Hutchinson
XQJ MN West CTC – Jackson
XQN MN West CTC - Canby
XQP MN West CTC - Pipestone
XPG Northwest Technical College, Bemidji
XQF Fond du Lac Tribal 7 Community College
XX1 MN State Comm. & Tech. College, Detroit Lakes
XX2 MN State Comm. & Tech. College, Moorhead
XX3 MN State Comm. & Tech. College, Wadena
XX4 Northland Comm. & Tech. College, East Grand Forks

NORTH DAKOTA

DIP Dickinson Pub Library – Billings Cty
NBJ Bismarck State College
NDJ Raugust Library, Jamestown College
NDS** North Dakota State Library
NDV Valley City State University
NGF Grand Forks Public Library
NMI Minot State University
NMY Mayville State University
NWQ North Dakota State University Library
UND University of North Dakota

**NDS refers on behalf of MINITEX to the following libraries:

BHE North Dakota State Health Department
BHR North Dakota State Highway Department
BHY North Dakota State Highway Department
BSF Minot State University Bottineau
DHF Dakota Heartland Health Syst Med Library
FGK Grand Fork AFB Library
FGT US Air Force, Minot AFB Library
FSH Meritcare Health System Library
GFH Altru Hospital Medical Library
JSH North Dakota State Hospital Health Science Library
LRJ Lake Reg State College
MGP Northern Great Plains Research Ctr Library
MTM Trinity Health
NIF NRI Med Library
NJA Alfred Dickey Public Library
NWY Williston Community Library
SA3 Saint Alexius Medical Center Library
TBI Trinity Bible College
UDJ USGS Brd N Prairie Wildlife Research Center
UNW Williston State College Library
VAH Veterans Administration Med Center, Fargo
WAP Wahpeton Public Library

September 18, 2006

Cool way to display statistics for ILL

Check out this interlibrary loan blog for a really nice display of dashboard software to display ILL statistics.

http://illresources.blogspot.com/2006/05/ill-dashboard.html

I really like the look of this - it seems to give a really complete overview in just a very small amount of space. It looks like there is some new technology involved, but when does anything these days not involve another piece of software?

September 12, 2006

The national Interlibrary Loan mailing list - ILL-L

Are you reading the national ILL mailing list? This is an active list with contributors who share information on all topics related to Interlibrary Loan. A frequent topic is how online systems, software and equipment is or isn't working for a particular library. Often, the problem will be solved by another person who has experience with the issue.

I see posts by staff from MINITEX libraries on the list frequently. Today, a post by Mike Grossman from Duluth Public Library illustrates how a good idea can become reality. After several of the "posters" grumbled about how difficult it is when a patron circumvents their ILL office to contact a lender directly to obtain special privileges, Mike offered this post:

"All responses to Heather's post below agreed - as do I - that there is
no good circumstance for a patron to go directly to a lending library,
around the borrowing Library's ILL staff.

I want to suggest that the problem really isn't that patrons go around
the borrowi ng library, however, it is that sometimes the lending library
responds to the patron's request (, promising to lend, granting
renewals, etc.) rather than send her or him back to the borrowing
library.

We can't control patron behavior, but perhaps we can influence the
behavior of ILL staffs. Perhaps it would help if the next revision of
the ILL code added a section specifying that it is the responsibility of
the borrowing library to respond to the borrowing patron, that lending
libraries should ALWAYS refer borrowing questions to the questioner's
home library."

It was such a good idea, that within a very short time of Mike's post, a member of American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) committee, who actually make changes in the National ILL Code commented that she will bring up his suggestion at the next meeting!

To sign up for the ILL-L list.