Automation Report No. 02-01
February 22, 2002
Subject: Network Library Home Page
A new version of the Network Library Home Page
<http://www.loc.gov/pics/> is expected to be released
February 25, 2002. The new version will have four new
features: ordering braille replacement volumes;
international interlibrary loan (ILL); expanded ILL library
selection; and the Network Library Manual. There are also
changes to the look and feel of the menu structure. The
following are the changes in the new version:
1. Braille replacement volumes: Occasionally, part or all
of a braille book is damaged in transit or lost by a reader.
NLS has now arranged to replace such missing or damaged
volumes of braille books. This program is NOT to be used to
provide books that do not arrive from the original shipment.
These missing books will be claimed under warranty by using
a procedure you will receive information about in the
future.
Replacement volumes are available for most books BR8900 and
above. The replacement volumes will be produced on a
braille embosser and will not be of the same quality as the
original volume. In the first year, each braille-lending
library will be limited to ten (10) replacement volumes.
To order volumes, use the menu item "Selected Forms to send
to NLS" to access the "Request Replacement Braille Volume."
After you fill in the appropriate information, select the
"Submit Request(s)" button and your orders will be forwarded
to the replacement-volume producer.
2. International Interlibrary Loan (ILL): NLS is working
with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind to bring
Canada into the web-based interlibrary loan system.
Although no Canadian libraries are yet participating in the
system, we are including the international ILL form in order
to prepare for the first of them. In the future, other
international libraries will be included.
There is a separate form for international ILL.
International libraries will be able to use only that form
for ILL requests. Only libraries indicating that they will
accept requests for international loans will show up on the
drop-down list of that form. Your library indicates whether
or not it will accept international ILL requests in your
profile. The international ILL form does not allow a patron
name and address to be entered, because international ILLs
are allowed only between libraries and do not permit direct
mailing to patrons. Network libraries should honor
international ILL requests only for locally produced
materials. International requests for NLS materials should
be forwarded to NLS (LC*3).
3. Select organization: A new feature has been added to
the ILL forms, both national and international, for
selecting the library to which you will send an ILL request.
You may select the library on the form by the four-letter
code from the drop-down list, as you do now, or you may use
the "Select Organization" button to search for libraries by
name or holding code.
Using "Select Organization" opens a new window in your
browser. At the top of the new window is the name and
address of the library whose code was in the "To Lending
Library" entry of your ILL form. Below that are three drop-
down selection boxes, one for the four-letter organization
codes, one for the organization names, and one for the
holding codes that are listed in the Key to International
Union Catalog Codes and Lending Conditions entry of your
Reader Advisor Interlibrary Loan Manual. You may use any of
the drop-down lists to choose the library to which to send
your request. (Remember that in a drop-down list a letter
key takes you to the first entry in the list that starts
with that letter and repeated keying of the letter takes you
down through the list.) If you select the "Accept" button
next to an entry, the window will close and the four-letter
entry of that library will be in the "To Lending Library" of
your ILL form. If you select the "Validate" button, the
window will be refreshed with the name and address of your
selected entry, and the other drop-down boxes will have the
corresponding entries for your selection. After you
validate a selection, any "Accept" button will close the
window and return you to the ILL form with the "To Lending
Library" entry filled in.
4. New menu structure: We have moved to a two-level menu
structure and have replaced the radio button and submit mode
of operation with direct links. The opening menu contains
just the headings for the different sections of the site
(Copy Allotment, Interlibrary Loan, NLS WebNet, etc.).
Selecting the heading takes you to a page with the menu
options for that feature.
5. Section links: Across the top of each second level
menu, you will find section links, the underlined list of
each of the sections of the site. Selecting the link will
take you to the section.
6. Copy allotment groupings: Books in copy allotment may
now be viewed with adult books first, followed by the
juvenile books. To view this display, select the "List
Books With Grouping" button at the top of the page. When
you are in that view, you have a link "jump to juvenile"
that will take you directly to the start of the juvenile
books list. You may return to the standard order, sorted
only by book number, by selecting the "List Books Without
Grouping" button. You may also set your profile so that
your preferred listing is either grouped or not when you
first view the copy allotment page.
7. Selected forms to send to NLS: There is a new menu
item for forms that you fill out and send to NLS. We have
moved the forms for submitting data to the union catalog to
this item and this is where we have added the form for
requesting replacement braille volumes, described in 1.
above. We expect other forms to be added in the future.
8. Selected reports and documents from NLS: This is
another new menu item like the one above that is intended
for information made available to you from NLS. The
magazine ship dates list has been included under this menu
item, as well as the Network Library Manual, announced in
Network Bulletin 02-06.
For further information contact:
Robert McDermott
Automation Officer
202-707-9313
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