The ILL Auto Broker option, allows an incoming request that cannot be fulfilled from your own local holdings to be sent on to one or more subsequent locations. This feature allows you to create a new brokered request with a third party supplier who can satisfy the request on behalf of the original incoming request. The availability of this functionality is subject to the configuration of resource groups in the windows admin client.
If brokering is enabled then the list of incoming requests displays a broker button. When pressed this allows you to create a brokered request with a third party supplier who can supply the item on behalf of the original request. VDX then has 2 matched transactions for the same request - one where your current location is acting as a lender (responder) to the original borrower (requester), and one where your current location is acting as a borrower (requester) to a third party supplier.
Click the requests button in the left hand pane
On the ILL Requests Search screen search for the incoming request that you cannot satisfy.
In the list of incoming request indications click the broker button for the relevant request.
This loads the request input form to create a new request. The request details are already copied into the record.
Process the request as normal to include the third party supplier on the rota .
The original incoming request will be found by searching on incoming requests and the new broker request will be found by searching on outgoing requests. The two ILL transactions are linked by their Corresponding ILLno fields in the Request Details section of the request. These act as links from one transaction to another, allowing you to move quickly between the two.
Once a brokered transaction has been established, individual incoming messages for one transaction can either be manually relayed on to the other transaction or automatically relayed.
The level of automation involved in relaying messages between the two related transactions is configured in the ILL-Auto-Broker-Config records associated with the brokering location (see System Administrator's online help for details).
To manually relay a message from a third party supplier:
As the brokering staff member you can select the Shipped message and relay it on to the original borrower (requester) to let them know that the item is on its way:
On the list of incoming ILL requests, find the request where you are acting as the responder.
Select the appropriate action to be relayed e.g. SHIPPED and press the action button.
On the Shipped page, enter any information supplied by the third party supplier and click the button at the bottom of the screen e.g. SHIP button.