Authorizing Users Requests

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VDX is often configured so that new requests from end users require an ILL administrator to check them before sending to the first location on the rota. This is called authorization. For details of how VDX is configured check your own organization for local policy.

Manually authorizing requests

1.First search for the end user requests that require authorization.

2.Having obtained the hit-list of requests, click the Action button on the request to be progressed and then select REQUEST. This displays the Request details.

3.Check the bibliographic details and amend as necessary.

4.Check the default Service Type and Media Type preferences are suitable for this request.

5.Check the end user’s details. The location details should be those for your own location.

6.Check or enter the default target lender/responder Locations for the rota.

7.On completion set the Authorization Status to Authorized. When you press Request the request is picked up by the relevant protocol driver and sent to the first location.

(Tip: when the details record is closed the user is automatically returned to the current request on the hit-list.)

Automatic checking of requests

The System Administrator may configure the system to automatically check requests once they are written to the VDX database. Automatic checking - auto-mediation - may be set up to cover one or more of the following conditions:

Validation of service level: the system will check whether the service level entered by the user is valid for this user, location and service type.

Check mandatory fields: the system will check whether mandatory fields are present. These fields (e.g. title, author) are pre-defined by the System Administrator.

Check local catalog for this bibliographic item: the system will check whether the item is held locally and then check whether the user is allowed to borrow it.

Check remote catalogs for bibliographic item: the system checks the request against the nominated remote catalogs and updates the authorization status accordingly.

Check Web services: the system checks against Web Services for holdings and/or prices. Three default Web Services are supplied to return information on locations owning a title (OCLC Locations lookup); holdings and availability information for a given location (OCLC Holdings Lookup) and current price of a title (Amazon Book Price Check Lookup)

Automatic routing check: The system will filter an existing rota by the Borrower (Requester)’s user/location default rota selection. This will select locations that fulfill certain criteria i.e. belong to the same consortium as the Borrower (Requester) Location or able to handle the material type, service type, service level requested. Alternatively, if the rota is empty, the system uses locations from the default non-located sequence for this service type and service level.

User-status checks: The system will check that the user’s financial or quota limits are not exceeded.

To find out the specific details of your VDX system configuration choices, check the procedures within your own organization.

Automatically authorizing requests

If a request successfully completes all the required authorization checks, VDX can be configured to give the authorization status of authorized.

If a record does not pass a check the request will either be automatically rejected (un-authorized) or marked as check manual if automatic rejection is not set up.

Special instructions and auto authorization

The system can be configured to override auto-authorization if the end-user has entered special instructions in the initial request. (The override is configured by OCLC NRE/VDX Support, ILL User Location Default record where Manual on Client Note field is set to Yes.)

When the end user places the request the special instructions should be entered as a note with the Note Type: client instructions. If special instructions have been entered, the auto-mediation process updates the authorization status of the request to auto-mediation: authmanual. These requests should be reviewed by the administrator before manually authorizing the request.

Locally held items and auto-authorization

VDX can be set up to prevent a request from being automatically authorized if the item requested is held locally. The request authorization status is then set to For Manual Authorization.

De-duplication and auto-authorization

When a user places a request VDX can be configured to check all the current (non-completed) requests made by that user, and ensure that the newly submitted request has not already been requested. If docfind-requester finds that the new request is a duplicate of an existing active request for that user, then the new request will not be authorised automatically. The request goes to Check Manual with a Validation reason of:

This request may be a duplicate of request no:XXXX.

Automatic rejection of requests

If VDX is configured to automatically reject requests not passing various checks then the authorization status is set by VDX to un-authorized. To find these requests you need to search using this status as your criteria.