Library Guides: JCU Library Experience Procedures: Off Campus Delivery

Receiving the Off Campus Request

Purpose:

To provide access to library resources for off campus students and staff

Alma Role required:

Requests Officer
Fulfillment Officer
Circulation Officer

Responsibility:

Library Experience Team

General Information:

Off Campus requests predominantly come through via a ticket in LibAnswers Library Experience queue. This is monitored daily.

Note:

If an Off Campus enquiry comes through other channels (e.g. phone call), create a ticket in the Library Experience queue to email the client with the instructions on how to request an item from the weblink Off Campus Request form.
Non-borrowable items (journals, reference, etc.) are not accessible through this service.
Interlibrary loan items will only be sent with the approval of the Manager, Collections Development.
Items will not be posted overseas.
Return pre-paid post bags are sent out with books. If tickets are actioned from both campuses, liaise with other campus regarding number of bags to send.

When an Off Campus ticket comes through LibAnswers that hasn't been claimed:

Follow the Receiving the Off Campus Request procedures Step 1: Open the Off Campus ticket
Follow the Process the Off Campus Request procedures Step 1: Place a holds request
LE team member (currently Jodie), will do all other steps.
Use OneSearch or ALMA to, search the item/s requested and identify where they are located: Townsville or Cairns or both
Edit the ticket question to reflect the item/s location:
- click the clog icon
- click edit.
- add CNS or TVL or both at the front of the information in the question box.
Wait for the LE team to place a holds request

2. Collect item from the picklist.

3. Record ticket number and SURNAME on laminated card/paper, place inside item and put in the Off Campus tray for LE to process further.(located under the returns computer in Townsville)

Open the Off Campus ticket: LEA or LE

Find the items listed in the Off Campus ticket.
Determine where the item/s are located using ALMA or OneSearch - Townsville or Cairns.
Edit the ticket question line to reflect the campus location of the items.
- CNS - Cairns
- TVL - Townsville
- CNS & TVL - for items supplied from both campuses

eBook: If the item is available as an eBook, respond to the patron via the LibAnswers ticket with the Off campus - available as an ebook macro.
Add ticket tag LE: Off Campus Request
Unclaim the ticket if another campus/staff member needs to action it.
If the items are already borrowed or have hold requests, inform the patron using the Off Campus - first response macro to see if they wish to wait for the item see First email and Internal note

Check eligibility, address & fines:

Check the 3 areas before proceeding

Eligibility:

Current JCU patrons in Australia, who live more than 50km from either campus.
JCU Brisbane and JCU Singapore patrons are not eligible.
Patrons living on Magnetic Island are not eligible for the Off Campus service.

Address:

Check that the ID/JCU number and address match those listed in the patron's ALMA account to confirm their eligibility for the Off Campus service. If they are not eligible, refer them to the appropriate form or service.
If the residential address given is different to that on the ALMA account, advise the patron to update their details in eStudent. Use the macro: Off Campus - first response (delete/keep the relevant text in the macro)
DO NOT process the request until the details are updated.

Dear ________

Thank you for your Off Campus request. Library staff will now process this.

Add if necessary: Unfortunately your address listed in E-Student is different from the one you have provided in the form. Can you please update your address in E-Student? Once we have received the change of address on our system we will post your item.

Add if necessary: The item you requested is currently on loan and has already been requested by several people. The likely waiting time is [days/weeks]. Would you like to borrow this item when it is available? Alternatively, would you like a copy of the previous edition of this title?

Please be advised Australia Post only collects mail twice a week from both the Townsville and Cairns campuses. This may impact your delivery time.

Regards,
JCU Library Experience Team

Fines:

Fines less than $25 - process the request.
Fines more than $25 - reply to the patron via the LibAnswers ticket to inform them they have outstanding fines that need to be paid before they can borrow (they will already have received fines notices).

Processing the Off Campus Request

Place a holds request:

Place a holds request on the item/s so that the LEA's can retrieve it off the shelf, the item/s will be placed in the Off Campus tray (under the returns computer) for the LE team member to continue with the process.

Open ALMA
Location should be [Your campus]- Circulation desk
At the top select Physical Items (not Physical Title) and and search by title or barcode. This will give a list of each copy of the book held

Search for the required item
Check the Library, year and any other information to ensure that you have found the correct item.

Click on Request in the top right hand corner

A new screen will open with a title of Create request
Request type = Patron physical item request

In the Requester section type:
- Townsville Loans (ID16259)
- Cairns Loans (ID12365)
Put a note in the Note field: Off Campus, ticket number, surname
Choose Pick Up location (Cairns/Townsville)
Press Submit on the top right hand side

First email response to patron:

Inform the patron through the LibAnswer ticket macro using the Off Campus - first response (delete sections not required)

Dear ________

Thank you for your Off Campus request. Library staff will now process this.

Please be advised Australia Post only collects mail twice a week from both the Townsville and Cairns campuses. This may impact your delivery time.

Regards,
JCU Library Experience Team

Check out the item:

Collect the item from the Off Campus tray when notified through the ticket that it has been retrieved from the shelf.
Check out the book to either the Townsville or Cairns Loans account (Important: this removes the item off the request list)
Go to the Off Campus requester's account and checkout the item. This message will show:

Select override.
Click on the Off Campus item under the patrons account and change the due date - 5 weeks from the loan date.

Record the return date on the due date slip and place in the front of the book. Locate due date slips to print: R:\LIS_IRS\Library Operations\Off Campus\Off Campus Forms & Slips

Note: standard 3 week loan plus 2 weeks to allow for travel time.

Sending the Off Campus item

Send items with Australia Post:

Weigh the book/s to determine how many postage bags and appropriate size.
- Each post pack can contain items up to 5kg. (Small, medium, large, extra large)
- Record the weight in the excel document: R:\LIS_IRS\Library Operations\Off Campus\Off Campus Stats

Check the patron's location and choose the correct post pack as per instructions below.
- Standard post (red/white post packs):
  - Most items will be sent using the standard post packs.
  - ALL items to be returned using standard post packs.
- Express post (yellow/white post packs):
  - Only use Express Post bags if posting to Far North QLD, NT, and WA. This includes Thursday Island, Weipa, Bamaga and other parts of Cape York and northern Australia.
  - Do not use Express post for return post pack, use standard post pack.

Address the item to the patron using the confirmed address details in the ticket. (For printed labels see - Creating Labels using Avery Design lab). Place an Off Campus address label on the back of the post pack in the sender/from box.

Place an Off Campus address label onto the return post pack and record the return tracking number in the excel document: R:\LIS_IRS\Library Operations\Off Campus\Off Campus Stats

Place the item/s, due date slip and return post pack into the post pack to be sent.

Remove the Tracking Number sticker of the post pack being sent and stick it in the Off Campus record book and record the ticket number and date the item was sent.

Seal the post bag and put it in the Australia Post outgoing tray in the mail room.

Second email:

Complete the Off Campus request by responding to the patron via the LibAnswers ticket using the Off campus – sending item/s macro.
Include the return due date and tracking number to the LibAnswer ticket email.

Dear _________

The book/s you requested has/have been posted today and is/are due back at JCU Library on [due date]. You can track the item on the Australia Post website using the tracking number [tracking number].

Please be advised Australia Post only collects mail twice a week from both the Townsville and Cairns campuses. This may impact your delivery time.

Items will auto renew unless a hold is placed by another patron in which case they will need to be returned by the due date. You will receive this information via email.

Information regarding Off Campus loans can be found on the Off Campus Library Service page.
You can check when items are due in Your Library Account.
If you think you need extra time for postage please contact the Library as overdue and late return charges will be automatically applied after the due date.

The Australia Post Postage Calculator and the 'Track Your Items' service are available online.

Kind regards

JCU Library team

Internal notes:

Add any of the following to an Internal Note within the LibAnswer ticket:
- eligibility/address checked
- fines over $25
- Weight
- return tracking number
- number/size of post packs and cost (e.g. 2 x sml post packs $19.90)

Record stats:

Record all stats in the excel document located in R:\LIS_IRS\Library Operations\Off Campus\Off Campus Stats
If both Cairns and Townsville send items for the one patron, combine the information in the one excel row. ALT Enter to create a new line in an excel cell to add the extra information.

Return items immediately to ensure clients do not receive fines.

Daily: check the mail room for items returned by patrons via Australia Post. Return the items using the Returning items procedure and Change location of item if necessary.

Items will auto renew unless a hold is placed by another patron in which case they will need to be returned by the due date. (this information is provided in the Off campus – sending item/s macro).
If a patron requests a renewal because they have not been able to renew online (i.e. when others have requested the book and the patron has not left enough time for postage):

check their past tickets in LibAnswers for any trends in behaviour regarding awareness of Australia Post postage times and tracking service,
check their return tracking label on the Australia Post tracking website to see if they have posted the item. If the patron has posted the item, edit the loan period to cover the remaining postage time (according to Australia Post delivery time estimations) and alert them to the new due date. Note the ticket number as a note block on their account in case postage takes longer.
If they have not posted the item but are requesting a renewal (when others have requested the book), edit the loan period to cover estimated postage time only. This is a courtesy provided on one occasion. Note the ticket number as a note block on their account. Alert them to the new due date and advise that the item has been requested by other clients.