Is the British Library totally automated?
1. Under our old system, when customers paid for request numbers in advance, it
was possible for our software to pick out duplicated request numbers. Under the
new system, request numbers are generated by our Automated Request Processing
system or customers input their own numbers. Although we ask customers to make
these numbers unique to their organisation, it often happens that several
customers use the same sequence of numbers. Duplicate numbers cannot therefore
be discarded. In a similar way, we cannot identify and discard duplicated
bibliographic details as, with c.18,000 requests a day, several customers could
in fact want the same item.
2. Although requests are automatically matched to our holdings databases and
then streamed to where specific items are held all over the library, staff still
mostly retrieve books/periodicals manually from the shelves. They send any
duplicate requests that they find to Customer Services where customers are then
contacted. They would only notice duplicated requests if they were sent in the
same batch or at least transmitted within a few hours so are part of the same
print run.
Hope this clarifies matters.
Betty Lowery
Customer Services, The British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa,
Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7BQ, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1937 546060 Fax: +44 (0) 1937 546333 Email:
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Hi
We have had some intermittent problems with the automated inter library
loan service by e-mail.
Somehwere along the line the original e-mail is being duplicated and
therefore we are receiving duplicate items back from the british
library.
We don't seem to be able to track the problem between ourselves and the
local university.
So, has anyone else had this problem? What was the outcome?
Also
Can anyone tell me if BL is totally automated, as we would have imagined
that two of everything (on large orders) from one instituition would be
immediately recognised?
Thanks for your help
Donna Curtis
--
Donna Curtis BSc (Hons), MSc
Computing Officer
AECC
13-15 Parkwood Road
Bournemouth, Dorset, BH5 2DF
Tel +44 (0)1202 436209 Fax +44 (0)1202 436308
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