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Real-time availability for ILL

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Find information about Real-time availability, which connects your OCLC resource sharing service (WorldShare ILL, Tipasa, or ILLiad) to your library's local catalog and enables the system to automatically respond No to lending requests that have an OPAC status of unavailable.

Real-time availability connects your OCLC resource sharing service (WorldShare ILL, Tipasa, or ILLiad) to your library’s local catalog to determine if a requested item is available. When your library is the current lender in the string, real-time availability checks the item’s status in your local system.

Real-time availability enables the system to automatically respond No to lending requests that have an OPAC status of unavailable. This allows the requests to move through the lender string more quickly. 

Lending requests for items that are not available will not appear in your request queue. Requests that the system has automatically said No to will use the reason for no of No - System checked availability.

 Notes: 

  • Applies to Loan requests.
  • If the item is unavailable, the request moves to the next lender in the string.
    • No - System checked availability is not available for manual selection, but it will appear in the OCLC Usage Statistics, Report Designer, and Request History.
      • Borrowers will see this Reason for No if the request is sent to a library using WorldShare ILL or Tipasa that is utilizing availability and the item status is unavailable.
  • If the OPAC status of the item item is available, not found, or any status that does not readily map to unavailable,the automatic Reason for No will not be applied and  the request will appear in the lending Can You Supply queue.

Configure real-time availability

WMS libraries and libraries that subscribe to WorldCat Discovery Premium are automatically configured for Real-time availability.

  • Confirm you have real-time availability by checking your Resource Sharing Lender Reasons for No Report in the OCLC Usage Statistics. The System Checked Availability reason for no will appear when your institution is configured for real-time availability. 

Request real-time availability

While WMS libraries and libraries subscribed to WorldCat DIscovery Premium are automatically configured for real-time availability, OCLC resource sharing libraries can request setup for Real-time availability as part of their WorldShare ILL subscription. OCLC will do the configuration for real-time availability. However, you first need to supply some information about your library by completing this real-time availability questionnaire. For more information, contact oclcresourcesharing@oclc.org.

  • You may need to work with the person at your library who has the most technical knowledge of your catalog and Z39.50 server for the server address, port, and database name requested in the questionnaire. As the OCLC implementation team works through the setup, they may contact you with more questions.