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ILS User's Group: Home

A place to collect information related to the use and governance of 4CLS's integrated library system (ILS)

Basic Overview

Originally called the Governing Council, the group was created at the beginning of automation at 4CLS as a venue for libraries to make policy decisions related to the shared use of the 4CLS ILS.

Now called the 4CLS ILS User's Group, it meets quarterly.

 

The ILS Advisory Committee was developed in 2022 to have a panel of member library staff evaluate issues and options and bring recommendations to the full User's Group.

 

Meeting Schedule

Schedule for 2024:

  • February  16 - Cancelled
  • May 17 - Hartwick (w/virtual option)
  • August 16 - Sherburne (w/virtual option)
  • November 15 - Whitney Point (w/virtual option)

Click here for minutes

Reference & Resources

Overdue/Assumed Lost Timing

  • At two weeks overdue, an overdue notice is generated- and automatically delivered by e-mail or text if the patron has that set up.

  • At four weeks overdue, an item goes to assumed lost, the patron is billed for the replacement cost, and a bill is generated by workflows (to be sent by mail by the library).

  • If an assumed lost item is returned, the system cancels the lost fine and calculates an overdue fine based on the policies of the charging library.

    Courtesy notices (by e-mail) are sent two days before items are due.

Policy Decisions

Claims Returned  - 2/17/2023

  • Patrons will be limited to 3 items Claimed Returned

Payment of Fines - 2/19/2016

A library may accept fines assessed by other libraries with the following parameters:

  • Collect & forward lost & damage payment to owning library
  • Collect & forward referral payments to billing library
  • Collect & keep all other fines of any time or amount

DVD Renewal (ILL) - 8/15/2014

A library may renew an ILL DVD provided that there are no outstanding holds on the item.  Approved 8/15/2014

Dos and Don'ts

DO use a professional tone when adding notes to a patron record.  Add the date and library & staff member initials. Ex. 3/25/2018 (4CLS/sjb)

DO use Orange (salmon) routing slips or printed routing slips of a reasonable size for transit items

DO check, and periodically clean out, the library’s ill e-mail account. 

DO forward payments for lost & damaged items to the owning library.

DO NOT grant a patron multiple renewals on an item you don’t own without asking the owning library – especially if there are holds on the item.

DO, when you receive a damaged ILL item from a patron, send along notes with pertinent information (patron ID, explanation of damage, etc.) to the owning library

DO NOT place holds on service copies

DO NOT place holds on circuit items

DO, when looking for lost items, first contact the sending library to look. 

DO, when a library uses the FCLS list to ask other libraries to look for a missing an item, it is not necessary to let them know that the item was not found