Exception Processing

Setup and configuration steps have not been completed

No Status in Circulation History

If you do not see anything in the Circulation History section of the ILL Request, this indicates an activation error. Verify all setup and configuration steps have been completed correctly.

Review the documentation and view the video that outlines the process:

• Set up and Integration

Patron barcode is missing/empty

Error message appears when trying to send the ILL request

The patron barcode is the matching data point between WorldShare Circulation and WorldShare Interlibrary Loan. This field must be populated in order to send the ILL request to lenders.

When the integration is activated, it requires the patron barcode to be included in the Patron information section of the ILL Request. If your patrons are submitting requests directly through WorldCat Discovery, the patron barcode is required to submit the Patron Request Form.

When the ILL request is generated from within WorldShare, staff entering requests on behalf of their patrons also need to include the patron barcode. If the barcode is missing, the request cannot be sent to lenders and you will receive an error message.

If you find that you need to place ILL requests for special programs or situations where a patron account does not exist in the Circulation module, it is recommended that you create a patron account before submitting the ILL request.

Workaround (in WorldShare)

1. Search for the patron in the Circulation module.
2. In the ILL Request, in the Patron accordion, enter the barcode in the ID field.
3. Save the ILL Request.
4. Resend the request.

Patron barcode does not match an existing barcode

Circulation History Status: Temporary item record failed to create (invalid patron id). Correct the patron id and retry.

If the patron enters their barcode incorrectly and no matching barcode is found in the Circulation module, the integration will fail.

If the patron incorrectly enters their barcode and the mistyped barcode matches another patron barcode, the request will be placed for the wrong patron. Some libraries may wish to add a patron barcode verification step within ILL where staff check the Circulation module for the barcode and correct patron name. If the correct barcode is found and updated before the request is sent, no remediation will be needed.

Workaround (in WorldShare)

1. Search for the patron in the Circulation module and find the correct barcode.
2. In the ILL Request, in the Patron accordion, update the barcode in the ID field.
3. Save the ILL Request.
4. In the Circulation accordion, click Retry.
5. The Circulation Status will update if the barcode was entered correctly.

Patron account is blocked or expired

Circulation History Status: Temporary item record failed to create (exception)

The creation of the temporary item and item-level hold will fail if the patron’s account is expired. When a patron’s account expires, they no longer have circulation privileges.

The first place to look is the patron’s account. Check that they do not have a manual block applied to their account (the Blocked? check box has not been selected) and that their Circulation Expiration Date has not been reached. If you find any blocks and library procedures allow, remove the blocks and retry within the ILL Request in the Circulation accordion.

Workaround (in WorldShare)

1. Search for the patron in the Circulation module.
2. Review the patron account:
   1. Check for a manual block (make sure the Blocked? check box is not selected)
   2. Check the Circulation Expiration Date (make sure the date has not been reached)
3. If library procedures allow, remove the manual block and/or update the Circulation Expiration Date.
4. In the ILL Request, go to the Circulation accordion, and click Retry.
5. The Circulation History Status will update if the exception has been resolved. If the Status stays the same, see #5.

Temporary item cannot be created due to bibliographic information

Circulation History Status: Temporary item record failed to create (exception)

The temporary item may also fail to be created if the Author field is populated with more than 250 characters in the ILL Request. Information about the item comes from the WorldCat bibliographic record. The Item’s Title, Author, and Material Format is transferred to the temporary item. If there is an exception due to the bibliographic information, it will be in one of those fields.

Edit the ILL Request Details that may be causing the exception, save the request, and retry within the Circulation accordion.

Workaround

1. Check item bibliographic information for potential exceptions in Title and Author fields (an Author field with more than 250 characters is a known cause).
2. In the ILL Request, in the Request Details accordion, modify the fields that may be causing the exception. Save your changes.
3. In the Circulation accordion, click Retry.
4. The Circulation History Status will update if the exception has been resolved. If the Status stays the same, see #6.

Hold cannot be placed due to policies or limits

Circulation History Status: Temporary item record failed to create (exception)

The temporary item could also fail to be created if the patron is blocked based on any of the circulation policies for your library. (Circulation policies are set in the WorldShare Circulation module of OCLC Service Configuration.) For example, a patron may have outstanding bills and the amount exceeds the maximum bill limit for their patron type. This type of block will cause the integration to fail.

Think of all the loan policies and limits associated with your circulation configuration. At any time, a request to place a hold could fail due to exceptions to these policies and limits. For example, if you place limits on the number of holds a patron can place, the attempt by the system to create the hold may fail.

In WorldShare Circulation, when you try to place a hold for a patron that has exceeded their limits, you may encounter the Acknowledgement window in order to override the block. Think of the Acknowledgement window as an exception that the system will also encounter. However, the system cannot determine whether the override should be allowed and the exception occurs.  See Circulation Account roles, Overrides for more information.  

Review the patron’s account and your circulation policies to see if there are any blocks on the patron’s account. You can correct the reason for the block in the Circulation module and retry the ILL request.

Workaround

1. Review the patron account for any possible blocks:
   • Overdue items
   • Number of items checked out
   • Number of hold requests
2. Correct the reason for block in the Circulation module.
3. In the ILL Request, go to the Circulation accordion, and click Retry.
4. The Circulation History Status will update if the exception has been resolved.

Default hold request period exceeded

Circulation History Status: Temporary item record failed to update (exception)

This exception occurs when you are trying to update the Item Barcode in the Circulation accordion of the ILL Request and mark the item as received.

Holds will expire if they are not fulfilled within the time set in the Default Hold Request Period field in the Hold Request Policy in OCLC Service Configuration (WMS Circulation > Hold Request Policy). The Default Hold Request Period determines how long holds remain active in the system. If you have a short time period set, for example 2-3 weeks, it is possible that the ILL request will not be filled within that time period and the hold will expire.

The Default Hold Request Period starts when the ILL request is sent to lenders. At that time, the system creates a temporary item and item-level hold for the patron requesting the item. This hold is filled at the time ILL staff receive the physical item from the lender. If the Default Hold Request Period is met before the item is received, the hold is no longer active (removed from the patron account) and, therefore, the system is unable to update the hold request to be fulfilled.

Since the temporary item still exists in the Circulation module, you can place another hold request for the patron and retry in the Circulation accordion of the ILL Request.

Workaround

1. Check the patron account for the item-level hold.
2. If the hold is not found, search the temporary items for the item, and:
   • Verify the temporary item
   • Make sure the holding location says WS ILL
   • Check if holds are outstanding
   • Place a hold for the patron
3. In the ILL Request, go to the Circulation accordion, and click Retry.
4. The Circulation History Status will update if the exception has been resolved.