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OCLC ILL Online Tutorial Available

By Bonnie Robinson

OCLC has released Using Interlibrary Loan: An OCLC Tutorial. The self-paced tutorial describes the main functions of the borrowing and lending cycle while providing practical training on the OCLC ILL service via system simulation and interactive, hands-on exercises.

The free tutorial can be used in several ways:

To prepare for BCR's OCLC ILL Basics workshop.
To give new staff an overview of OCLC's ILL service when it is not convenient to send them to the BCR workshop.
As a way to learn new features of the service, such as Custom Holdings or ILL Direct Request.
As a refresher for experienced staff.

The tutorial explores various features of the ILL service, including how to:

Create and respond to requests.
Select the most appropriate potential lenders by reviewing various holdings displays and lender policies in the Name-Address Directory.
Use multiple constant data records.
Set up Custom Holdings.
Give reasons for saying "No" to a request.
Use the OCLC ILL Direct Request service.

You may take the entire course or complete only the sections that pertain to your work.

The ILL tutorial can be downloaded from purl.org/ oclc/ill-tutorial. The page links to the software and instructions for downloading and installing it. The tutorial can be installed on as many workstations as needed. It will also be on the next compact disc release of OCLC Access Suite. Like other components of the Access Suite, the tutorial is available at no extra charge. Since it is run from your workstation, there are no online charges.

The ILL tutorial joins Searching WorldCat: an OCLC Tutorial to provide self-paced training in two basic OCLC services. Searching WorldCat offers strategies for searching WorldCat (the Online Union Catalog) through the Cataloging, ILL and Union List services. Using hands-on exercises, you learn how to search and navigate in the OCLC online system. Searching WorldCat is also available via electronic download from the URL below or from the Access Suite CD.

To view a complete list of OCLC's training materials, go to www.oclc.org/oclc/menu/training.htm. To offer comments and suggestions about the materials, click the Feedback button at the top of any page on the OCLC Web site and fill out the resulting form.

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