1. Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference
Setting Sail With SRCS!
Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference
9-10 June 2016
Indianapolis, IN
I’m Steven Schmidt. Currently I am the head of the Library Development Office of the Indiana State Library. My office provides services to the over 400 public, academic and private libraries around the state.
Steven J. Schmidt
Indiana State Library

2. Setting Sail With SRCS! Steven J. Schmidt Indiana State Library
Among these are INSPIRE, a statewide suite of databases available to all Hoosiers;
Hoosier State Chronicles, a digital depository for nearly a million pages of Indiana Newspapers ranging from 1804 up through 2010;
InfoExpress, a courier service that links many of those libraries,
and soon, SRCS, a patron initiated interlibrary loan system.
Just so we are clear, I’m old! I have been involved in interlibrary loan in this state for a long time. Let me give you an example.
Steven J. Schmidt
Indiana State Library

3. SRCS Steven J. Schmidt Indiana State Library
and soon, SRCS, a patron initiated interlibrary loan system. I’ll explain about that in a moment.
First, just so we are clear, I’m old! I have been involved in interlibrary loan in this state for a long time. Let me give you an example.
Steven J. Schmidt
Indiana State Library

4. When I started working in libraries, this was how we verified interlibrary loan requests. Using NUC – the National Union Catalog. All 856 volumes of it. For the youngsters in the crowd, that consisted of photocopies of the catalog card (Remember those?) from the major libraries in the US and Canada. We used this information to type up a three-part ALA form that we then stuck in the mail.
That was then.

5. Statewide Remote Circulation System
CLIFFS NOTES ON
U.S. $4.95
S. R. C. S.
Statewide Remote Circulation System
This is now. Let me tell you about SRCS. Indiana’s new Statewide Remote Circulation System.

6. What is SRCS? SRCS is a patron-initiated request system
(Returnables Only)
SRCS is a patron-initiated request system that reaches beyond your local ILS.

7. What is SRCS? SRCS is NOT a replacement for your local ILS
SRCS works with your local ILS to make easy resource sharing possible.

8. What is SRCS?
Participants need to be running one of the eligible ILS systems.
Participants do need to be running one of the eligible ILS systems.

9. What is SRCS?
107 44 20 25 20 18
These are the eight most common ILS systems in the state right now. There are several different favors within some of these products. 20 13

10. What is SRCS?
Phase I 68 28 23 11 1 1 1 11
These are the 15 different ILS systems that SRCS is working with in Phase 1. 11 12

11. What is SRCS? Not all of the libraries on a particular ILS
have to participate.
A couple of other things to note, Not all of the libraries running a particular ILS have to participate.
For example, we currently have 65 of the 110 Evergreen Indiana libraries participating in SRCS.

12. What is SRCS? Participation is strictly voluntary.
Participation in SRCS is strictly voluntary.

13. What is SRCS? Participants must be willing to lend materials from
at least
part of their
collection.
There some rules and requirements. For instance, libraries must be willing to lend materials from at least part of their collection.

14. What is SRCS?
Participants must subscribe the InfoExpress courier service.
They must also subscribe to our statewide courier service.

15. ISL will pay the set-up & connect charges for participating libraries.
What is SRCS?
ISL will pay the set-up & connect charges for participating libraries.
In return, the Indiana State Library has contracted with Auto-Graphics for their ShareIt software and agrees to pick up the set-up and connection charges for all participating libraries.

16. SRCS Participants, Phase 1 Academic: 52 Public: 113 Other: 2
Libraries To-Date
165
Academic: 52 Public: Other: 2
15 different ILS
We have 165 libraries who have signed up for phase 1 of SRCS which will launch on August 15 of this year. That includes 52 academic libraries, 113 public libraries and two special libraries, including the Indiana State Library. The collections in Phase 1 represents over 36 Million items. That is larger than the Library of Congress, Harvard or Boston Public.
By the way, we will open the signup window for Phase two this December, so more libraries can join, if they want.
SRCS Union Catalog
36,323,800 items

17. How Does SRCS Work? Virtual Union Catalog Using Z39.50 Not Held
Authorized Patron
of one of the participating libraries
Non Circ
Checked Out
So how does this system work. Users are authorized by their local library. So if they are a valid user, they can log in with their barcode or user ID and search the SRCS catalog. That search will go out an ping each of the libraries in the catalog to find out who owns the book she want, and whether it is currently available and on the shelf. If so, she will be offered a Request This Item button to request it.
The next morning the owning library will print out their picklist, find the book, mark it “Will Supply” and toss it into the courier. A few days later, when it arrives at the patron’s library, they mark it “Received” and the patron comes in to check it out.
On Shelf
Request This Item

18. Staff searches for item Staff finds possible lenders
Staff logs in Request
Staff searches for item
Staff finds possible lenders
Staff files request
Potential lender receives request
Potential lender checks shelves
Potential lender answers No
Potential lender (2) receives request
Potential lender (2) checks shelves
Potential lender answers Yes
lender Checks out item
lender Preps for lending
Lender ships item
In transit
Staff received item
staff checks in item
Staff preps item
Staff notifies patron
Patron Checks out
Patron Returns item
Staff checks in item
Staff marks item returned
Staff ships item
Lender receives item
Lender checks in item
Lender reshelves item
Patron files Request
Let’s talk for a minute about why we want to launch this program. As always, it is a question of money and the cost difference between traditional, mediated ILL and an unmediated system, such as SRCS.
It all starts when the patron submits a request.

19. Mediated ILL Patron files Request Staff logs in Request
Staff searches for item
Staff finds possible lenders
Staff files request
Potential lender receives request
Potential lender checks shelves
Potential lender answers No
Potential lender (2) receives request
Potential lender (2) checks shelves
Potential lender answers Yes
Lender Checks out item
Lender Preps for lending
Lender ships item
In transit
Staff received item
Staff checks in item
Staff preps item
Staff notifies patron
Patron Checks out
Patron Returns item
Staff marks item returned
Staff ships item
Lender receives item
Lender checks in item
Lender reshelves item
Patron files Request
From the Mediated ILL side, here is a short list of the 30 or so steps that each request follows. The include things like
Logging in the Request, having a staff member search for the item, determine possible lenders, submitting the request. At this point the burden shifts to the potential lenders, who pull the request, check their shelves and then decide whether they can lend it or not. Since systems like OCLC are based upon ownership only, a lot of requests go to libraries where the item is lost, misplaced or already checked out, so that requires work from the staff who cannot supply it before it on it goes to the next holder.
Ultimately, someone usually says yes and packages it up for your patron to borrow. The book arrives, you process it in, notify the patron, and check it out to the patron, then when they return it, all of this goes in reverse until it is received back in the owning library, checked in and returned to the shelf.

20. Mediated ILL $15.00/hr $22.50 Per Request 90 Patron files Request
Staff logs in Request
Staff searches for item
Staff finds possible lenders
Staff files request
Potential lender receives request
Potential lender checks shelves
Potential lender answers No
Potential lender (2) receives request
Potential lender (2) checks shelves
Potential lender answers Yes
Lender Checks out item
Lender Preps for lending
Lender ships item
In transit
Staff received item
Staff checks in item
Staff preps item
Staff notifies patron
Patron Checks out
Patron Returns item
Staff marks item returned
Staff ships item
Lender receives item
Lender checks in item
Lender reshelves item 2 5 10
$15.00/hr
For each of these steps, I have assigned a length of time that each step could take a staff member. We could quibble about the details here, but for the sake of argument, let’s go with these figures. This adds up to a total of 90 minutes of staff time spent on just this one request over the course of its lifetime. Assuming that this work is done by a para-professional or better, who is paid say, $15.00 an hour that means this request cost the libraries $ Remember, this cost is spread between all of the libraries involved in this process, this this example that is three libraries.
$22.50
Per Request 90
Staff Minutes

21. Mediated ILL Unmediated ILL SRCS 90 2 5 10 Patron files Request
Staff logs in Request
Staff searches for item
Staff finds possible lenders
Staff files request
Potential lender receives request
Potential lender checks shelves
Potential lender answers No
Potential lender (2) receives request
Potential lender (2) checks shelves
Potential lender answers Yes
Lender Checks out item
Lender Preps for lending
Lender ships item
In transit
Staff receives item
Staff checks in item
Staff preps item
Staff notifies patron
Patron Checks out
Patron Returns item
Staff marks item returned
Staff ships item
Lender receives item
Lender checks in item
Lender reshelves item
Unmediated
ILL
SRCS
Let’s switch over now to an unmediated request, such as SRCS. 90
Staff Minutes

22. Mediated ILL Unmediated ILL SRCS 90 2 5 10 Patron files Request
Staff logs in Request
Staff searches for item
Staff finds possible lenders
Staff files request
Potential lender receives request
Potential lender checks shelves
Potential lender answers No
Potential lender (2) receives request
Potential lender (2) checks shelves
Potential lender answers Yes
Lender Checks out item
Lender Preps for lending
Lender ships item
In transit
Staff receives item
Staff checks in item
Staff preps item
Staff notifies patron
Patron Checks out
Patron Returns item
Staff marks item returned
Staff ships item
Lender receives item
Lender checks in item
Lender reshelves item
Unmediated
ILL
SRCS
Unmediated request go through many of the same steps, but not all of them. For one thing, since SRCS only requests items that are owned by a library, but listed as being available. This does away with most of the unfilled requests, since we know that every requested item should be on the shelf. 90
Staff Minutes

23. Mediated ILL Unmediated ILL $7.50/hr $22.50 $7.07 Per Request10
Patron files Request
Staff logs in Request
Staff searches for item
Staff finds possible lenders
Staff files request
Potential lender receives request
Potential lender checks shelves
Potential lender answers No
Potential lender (2) receives request
Potential lender (2) checks shelves
Potential lender answers Yes
Lender Checks out item
Lender Preps for lending
Lender ships item
In transit
Staff receives item
Staff checks in item
Staff preps item
Staff notifies patron
Patron Checks out
Patron Returns item
Staff marks item returned
Staff ships item
Lender receives item
Lender checks in item
Lender reshelves item 2 10 5
Unmediated
ILL
$7.50/hr
SRCS
When we look at the same units of time for each of these steps, we fall from 90 minutes of staff time to just 55 minutes. One other thing to keep in mind is that much of this work is typically handled by library aides rather than librarians or para-professionals. So assuming that you pay them minimum wage, the cost of each request falls to just $7.07, split between the two libraries. Far less than the $22.50 of the mediated service.
$22.50
Per Request
$7.07
Per Request 55
Staff Minutes 90
Staff Minutes

24. SRCS
Let me introduce you to SRCS.

25. SRCS
As I explained earlier, SRCS is a patron initiated ILL system.

26. Patrons can go into the catalog, log in, find what they want and, if there is a library who owns it and shows that it is not checked out, they request it with just the click of a button. That request is then forwarded to a library who shows that they have that title currently on the shelf.

27. Typically, the next morning that ILL staff at the owning library will log into SRCS, click on the Staff Dashboard and select the Request manager.

28. The request manager presents all of that library’s ILL traffic at a glance. Borrowing on the left and Lending on the right. Since the patron is asking for one of our books, PENDING becomes a link, telling us that we have a request waiting.

29. Clcik on Pending, and here is that request.

30. I can print off a picklist to send into the stacks.

31. Since the page found the book on the shelf, I am going to update the status of this book to SHIPPED, then click on SUBMIT..

32. Going back to the Staff Dashboard, I select MAINTAIN SHIPPING LABELS under the ILL heading and print off what ShareIt calls a Shipping Label. Actually this is a book flag that helps with routing the items. It prints two colums on a single sheet of paper. One shows where it needs to be shipped to, and the other side shows where it needs to be returned.

33. Fold it in half, and stick it inside the book
Fold it in half, and stick it inside the book. Now we can easily sort it out by destination and toss all of the books going to one library in the same bag.

34. Delivered to the Borrowing Library by the InfoExpress Courier
The courier pick it up and in a day or so it is delivered to the borrowing library.

35. A staff member at the borrowing library logs into their Staff Dashboard and click on their Request Manager.

36. This time, they check their SHIPPED request.

37. Find the request that matches the book that just arrived, and mark it RECEIVED

38. Back out to the Staff Dashboard, this time to select MAINTAIN BOOKSTRAPS.

39. This allows them to print off a book wrapper identifying it as an ILL book, and the patron is notified that their book has arrived..

40. The patron comes in and checks out the book normally, reads it

41. And returns it on time.

42. The library staff goes back into SRCS and marks the book as returned, Remember that shipping flag? We’ll turn it over and stick it in the book so it show where the book needs to be returned to.

43. Delivered to the Lending Library by the InfoExpress Courier
Then back in the back for the courier to run back to the owning library.

44. The staff at the owning library logs back in to the request manager

45. This time they are looking for the status RETURNED.

46. Go in an mark the status as complete and then the book is ready to be reshelved. The process is complete.

47. The staff can call up either lending or borrowing statistics at any time.

48. One report show all of the traffic you have had with every library in the system

49. Steven J. Schmidt, Supervisor
Questions?
Steven J. Schmidt, Supervisor
Library Development Office
Indiana State Library
315 West Ohio Street, ISL 413
Indianapolis, IN 46202