Configuring NCIP in Relais ILL

Patron Profiles

Specify which patron or borrower types in your library system are permitted to place loan and/or copy requests in Relais ILL by defining patron profiles. To invoke this functionality, set the Use Server Profile button to Yes and then define the permissions of each patron or borrower type from your library system via the Update Profile button.

1. Access Library Registration via Login – Staff.
2. Search/retrieve your institution's library record. Upon retrieving your library's record, switch to the Contact tab.
3. To use patron profiles for validation ensure the Use Server Profile button is set to Yes.
   
   The various patron/borrower types you define via Update Profile must be associated with a patron type in Relais. Before you start entering your library's patron or borrower types for profiling, ensure that the Relais patron types to which you would like to associate your library's patron or borrower type codes are already created in Relais.
    
4. Click Update Profile to configure your patron/borrower types and their permissions:

   Field	Characters	Description
   Profile Code	20	Enter the patron type code from your library system.
   Description	50	Enter in a description of the patron type code.
   Patron Type		Select the patron type code created in Relais from the drop down list that you would like to associate your library system patron code with. You can associate multiple NCIP profiles with one single patron type code in Relais. For example, if you have several different Undergraduate patron types/profiles in your library system, you could create one patron type in Relais called Undergraduate and associate each of your library system profiles with that one patron type. This is helpful for sites that have extensive patron types in their library system and need to map them to a finite number of codes that can be created in Relais.
   Loan Code		Select the loan code to be associated with the patron profile.
   File Format		Select the default file format that material is delivered in when sent via email.
   Message Format		Select the default message format.
   Billing Type		Select the billing type to be associated with the patron profile.
   Billing Rate		Select the billing rate to be associated with the patron profile.
   Copy
   Allow Copy		Select whether this patron profile is allowed to place copy requests
   Delivery Select		Select whether the patron is allowed to select their delivery type when placing copy requests.
   Delivery Method		Select the default delivery method for copy requests for this patron profile.
   Delivery Address	80	Enter the default delivery address for copy requests for this patron profile.
   Loan
   Allow Loan		Select whether this patron profile is allowed to place loan requests.
   Delivery Select		Select whether the patron is allowed to select their delivery type when placing loan requests.
   Delivery Method		Select the default delivery method for loan requests for this patron profile.
   Delivery Address	80	Enter the default delivery address for loan requests for this patron profile.

    

    Note:  If you chose a default delivery method of Pickup and wish to define a default delivery address, ensure that you have configured your pickup locations via Table Maintenance and ensure that these are associated with the correct pickup location code in your library system. It is this code that is sent in the AcceptItem Message when processing an LON request. See Circulation components for information on configuring pickup locations via Table Maintenance.  

5. Click Add to add the patron profile to your system.

Patron statuses

Various statuses can be returned as part of the NCIP Lookup User response. These statuses indicate whether a patron's borrowing privilege in your library system is Delinquent, Blocked, Barred or Expired. Define these status codes in Relais and then indicate for a given code whether patrons would be permitted to place a request if their patron record returned that status.

1. Access Library Registration via Login – Staff.
2. Search/retrieve your institution's library record. Upon retrieving your library's record, switch to the Contact tab.
3. To define patron statuses for validation select Status Codes.
   
   
    

   Field	Characters	Description
   NCIP Status Code	20	Enter in the status code returned in the LookupUser response from your library system. The typical values returned are OK, DELINQUENT, BLOCKED, BARRED, and EXPIRED. Please check with your library system vendor to see if there are other specific status codes that are returned in their LookupUser response that you can configure.
   Allow ILL		Select whether a patron would be permitted to place a request if their record is returned with the configured status.

4. Click Add to add the patron profile to your system.

Unit libraries

Some library system vendors return a patron's unit library (the library to which they are registered in your library system) in the NCIP LookupUser response. If this is the case, these library codes will need to be defined as part of your NCIP configuration in Relais. Check with your library system vendor to see if they return a unit library in their LookupUser response. Click the Unit Libraries button to invoke the NCIP Unit Library Mapping window.

1. Access Library Registration via Login – Staff.
2. Search/retrieve your institution's library record. Upon retrieving your library's record, switch to the Contact tab.
3. To define patron statuses for validation select Unit Libraries.
   
    

   Field	Characters	Description
   NCIP Library	25	Enter the code of the unit library in your library system that is sent back in the LookupUser response.
   Relais Library		Enter in your library symbol in Relais to associate the NCIP library to your library in Relais.

4. Click Add to add the unit library to your configuration. 

Test the Lookup User message

Once you have configured your NCIP settings in Relais and ensured that the relevant configuration required on your library system side has been completed for your NCIP server and any required ports are open, you can test to see if Relais is communicating with your NCIP server by using your patron web pages to log and invoke the LookupUser message.

The patron is required to enter a barcode/ID and pin/password/lastname to validate themselves at the login screen of your patron web access pages.

The barcode/ID is typically the active unique ID associated with the patron record in your library system. The password/pin/lastname is often labeled as such.

Please check with your library system vendor to confirm which fields your patrons should be using to enter their barcode/ID and password/pin/lastname from.

If you are able to successfully log in through the patron access pages and place a request, your NCIP connection is active and working as expected. It is also good to test logging in with patrons who are either blocked or expired as well as those that have patron types that are not allowed to place any or certain types of requests to ensure that the NCIP elements you have configured for patron profiles or status codes are working as expected. 

Generic patron records

Generic patron records are the patron records in your local library system to which material loaned to other libraries is checked out. Once these generic patron records are created in your library system, update the ilsSettings.ini and/or the ILS Settings section of the Relais.ini as described below.  For customers using the Relais Hosted Service, contact OCLC Support with this information.  

The ilsSettings.ini is called upon updating requests via the staff web and is on the web server which serves up your Relais web pages.

The ILS Settings section in the Relais.ini is used when updating request via the windows Login.  

The basic configuration for generic patrons is identical for both the ilsSettings.ini and the ILS Settings section of the Relais.ini

Pickup Locations

If you allow patrons to use the delivery method of Pickup for material they are requesting through ILL, you will need to ensure that you have your correct library system pickup location codes associated with the pickup locations used by patrons in Relais when they place requests in your system. The AcceptItem NCIP message creates a brief bib and item and places a hold on the brief bib for pickup in your library system when processing a LON request.

1. Access Table Maintenance > Delivery/Messaging > Pickup Location
2. Add or modify existing pickup location codes in your Relais system to associate with your library system pickup locations.
   
    

   Field	Characters	Description
   Code		The pickup location code in Relais is a one character code.  You can use A-Z, 0-9, as well as the ~, !, @< #, $, %< ^, &, *, (, ), _, -, +, =, { etc. characters to define these pickup locations. Enter in a single character code.
   Library Symbol		Enter in your institution's library symbol.
   ILS Code	20	Enter in the pickup location code from your library system that represents the pickup location you are creating/modifying in Relais.
   Description	50	Enter in a description of the pickup location. This description will display in the Delivery Location drop down list when placing requests in the system and displays in alphabetical order by description.

    Note: If you wish a commonly used pickup location to move to the top of the display list, enter an * or character at the front of the description to move it to the top of the list.