Orbis Borrowing: Policies

Orbis Borrowing refers to the Innovative Interfaces Inc. automated ("patron-initiated") borrowing module. For the purposes of this document Orbis Borrowing does not apply to reciprocal borrowing, interlibrary loan, or any other borrowing and lending process used by patrons of Orbis member institutions.

Describing Categories of Patrons and Orbis borrowing privileges

adopted 9/20/96

Patrons with Orbis borrowing privileges

Each institution will offer Orbis Borrowing privileges to the same categories of patrons who are offered on-site borrowing under the "Reciprocity Agreement Among Orbis Libraries".

These categories are limited to the following groups:

  • currently enrolled students
  • currently employed staff
  • currently employed faculty

The home library will also determine whether students, staff, or faculty in special programs offered by or in affiliation with that institution merit automated borrowing privileges, and if so, will code those patron records appropriately.

Patrons not receiving Orbis borrowing privileges

The following programs or groups are examples of categories excluded from receiving Orbis borrowing through Orbis:

community borrowers, corporate borrowers, Friends of the Library groups, alumni association members, students not currently enrolled at the institution, faculty and staff not currently employed by the institution, patrons in categories that cannot reasonably be justified as belonging to the three eligible categories listed above

Adding categories of patrons eligible for Orbis borrowing privileges

We further recommend that no institution increase the categories of patrons to whom Orbis Automated Borrowing is offered without permission from the Council.

 [note: status of patrons, and borrowing privileges, during inter-session periods and summer term will be reviewed later]

Materials loaned through Orbis Borrowing

adopted 9/20/96

Each institution, at a minimum, will lend monographs from their general circulating collections through the Orbis Borrowing program.

"General circulating collections" is defined as collections that circulate under the normal loan rules to the institution's own students, faculty, and staff. Not included are restricted collections such as course reserves or others with shortened loan periods.

Individual institutions may choose, without seeking permission from the Council, to lend additional categories of materials through the Automated Borrowing program.

Selecting one of multiple items to request: Automatic Selection

adopted 10/28/96

Public requests for items: the system automatically selects an item randomly from the institutions owning the item. Exception: when multiple items represent different volumes, the system prompts the patron to select a specific item.

Tech. requests for items: staff may select an item to request, to avoid duplicating a request to an institution unable to supply the item.

Loan periods and renewals

adopted 10/28/96

Uniform for all patron categories. The loan period and renewal policy is uniform for all Orbis borrowers (students, faculty, and staff).

Uniform for all institutions. For all Orbis borrowers (patron categories) the loan period and renewal policy is the same at all member institutions.

Uniform for all items. All Orbis-circulated items are assigned the same Orbis standard item type and have the same loan period and renewal period.

Loan period for standard item type: 3 weeks.*

Renewal policy for standard item type: no renewals.

*[As soon as INN-Reach software supports automatic hold and recall, consider changing to 2 weeks plus one 2-week renewal.]

Fines

adopted 10/28/96

Uniform at all institutions. All Orbis libraries use a uniform fine rate for Orbis-circulated materials.

Uniform for all patrons. The same fine rate applies to all categories of borrowers.

Fine amount: $.50 per day for the first 10 days, then $1 per day for the next 15 days, to a maximum of $20 per item.

adopted 5/9/97

Each institution keeps the overdue fines collected from its patrons for Orbis overdue items (the items owned by other institutions).

Orbis will pursue a system enhancement request for the union circulation software to keep statistics on overdue fines accrued by patrons, separated by the items' owning institution.

Member libraries will, as possible, keep statistics on Orbis overdue fines collected in 1997 and provide it to Orbis staff, who will prepare a report for Council in early 1998.

Replacement and Service charges

adopted 10/28/96

Uniform replacement charge. All Orbis libraries use the same replacement charge: $60.00 per item.


Uniform service charge. All Orbis libraries use the same service charge: $15.00 per item.



List of Issues

adopted 5/9/97

Reimbursement. Individual institutions are responsible for reimbursing other member institutions for items lost or irreparably damaged by their patrons. Orbis staff coordinates and maintains a record-keeping and accounting system that supports reimbursement for net losses.

Recalling Items for Reserve

adopted 10/28/96

Orbis libraries will follow a standard procedure to manually recall Orbis-circulated items needed for Reserve reading at the owning library.

A recalled item will be due 7 days after the date of notification, unless the normal due date is less than 7 days.

The fine for overdue recalled items is $2 a day per item.

Recalling Items for Patrons

adopted 10/28/96

Orbis member libraries do not recall materials for individual patron needs.

Competing needs: Local patron and Orbis request

adopted 10/28/96

A patron with an item in hand takes priority over an Orbis request, even if the Orbis request was earlier.

Delivery time goal

adopted 10/28/96

The Orbis goal for delivering an item to the requested pick-up location is 48 hours. Training, Testing, and Implementation

adopted 10/28/96

Target date to begin public use of automated borrowing module: March 1, 1997.

Patron blocks

adopted 11/15/96

The maximum number of items allowed for any Orbis patron is 300 (the limit applies to the total number of all items requested and/or checked out from all participating institutions through Orbis borrowing).

Defining Currently enrolled and Currently employed

adopted 11/15/96

Each institution will defined "currently enrolled" as long as it does not exceed one year of non-enrolled or non-employed status.

Remote borrowing for Orbis patrons at Orbis sites

adopted 11/15/96

Orbis member library staff at the remote (non-home) site will add to the local database a patron record for the remote borrower. When prompted by Orbis to select the institution affiliation, the remote borrower will identify the non-home institution. The remote site is responsible for fining and billing the remote borrower. If that library cannot collect from the borrower, the home institution remains responsible for the fees or fines accrued by their student, staff, or faculty.

Remote borrowing for Orbis patrons at Orbis sites

adopted 11/15/96

The home library will use current procedures to send a borrowed item to a non-Orbis site.

Implementation

adopted 11/15/96

All Orbis libraries (that are using the I.I.I. circulation system for local checkouts) should bring up Orbis Borrowing at the same time.

Communication and problem-solving

adopted 11/15/96

Each institution will provide the Orbis Coordinator with the name of a primary contact person for problem-solving (individual records). Orbis will make the list available to all Orbis libraries. The contact person may resolve the problem or forward it to other staff for resolving.


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Orbis Borrowing Committee historical information