ILLiad FAQ

1. What is ILLiad?

ILLiad is the electronic system you use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan. The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for InterLibrary Loan internet accessible database. The system was developed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and is now in use at many large research libraries.

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2. How is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?

• You will find it easier to submit your interlibrary loan requests because you enter your name, address, and other personal information into the system only once.
• Your request will be handled more rapidly and accurately as problems relating to misinterpretation of hand-written requests are eliminated.
• You can get many of your photocopies more quickly through Electronic Delivery.
• You can get information about the status of your request through the Web at any time from any location without having to call the ILL Department.
• Library personnel are able to serve you better because all data about your request and its handling is stored in a searchable database. We are able to respond quickly to your inquiries about your request. We are also able to gather statistical information about the performance of the libraries that lend to us, enabling us to make better decisions when choosing a lender to supply an item.

3. Are there any disadvantages to the electronic system?

Some people might find it troublesome to have to log into ILLiad using a username and password. We believe this is less trouble than traditional paper and electronic systems which require you to enter your personal information with each new request. If you need assistance entering data using a keyboard, please contact the Interlibrary Loan office (518 276-8330).

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4. Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?

Your username and password allows us to give you secure access to information about your interlibrary loan requests. We can also enable you to edit your personal information such as your address or phone number.

Your username can be anything you like, such as your name, abbreviations, or an alphanumeric code. Your password also can be anything you like. We recommend that you follow good security practice and choose a password that is different from those you use to access other systems. (Ideally, passwords should be at least 10 alpha-numeric characters of mixed case.) However, no one but you will know your password, not even the library staff. The password you set is stored in an encrypted file.

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5. What if I forget my password

In the event that you forget your password, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office at (518) 276-8330, the Folsom Library's Circulation Desk at (518) 276-8310 or use email to contact the library. We can then reset your password allowing you access to ILLiad. Please remember to change your password after you logon to ILLiad.

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6. What Web browser should I use?

You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and, preferably, one that can handle frames. This is a minimal configuration when browsing the Web in 2000. Although ILLiad will work with Netscape Navigator 3.0 and Microsoft IE 3.0, we recommend either Netscape Navigator version 4.0 or greater or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.0 or greater. Both browsers are available for the Windows 3.x, Windows 95 or NT, and Macintosh O/S operating systems. Netscape Navigator is also available for UNIX.

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7. How can I use the system if I don't have a personal computer for Web access?

You can access ILLiad via any public workstation across campus in addition to workstations located in Folsom and the Architecture Libraries. Library staff are available to assist you at library locations.

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8. Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?

Potentially, there is because Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation. If you do not remember to logoff when you are finished using a public workstation, the next user could access the system under your name by using the browser's Back button to recall a page from the cache, or by finding a page with your personal information in the browser's history file.

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9. Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?

Periodcially, older records will be purged from ILLiad, but data will kept a minimum of 3 years to comply with record keeping requirements relating to compiance with copyright law.

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10. Do you still accept the paper forms?

No. All interlibrary loan requests are now received through ILLiad. If you need assistance using ILLiad, or would like to have library staff train someone else to use ILLiad for you, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office. Phone: (518) 276-8330 or EMAIL: ill-support You may also obtain help from library staff at the reference desks and in the branch libraries. Back to Top

11. What is electronic delivery?

Many libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. In the past we printed these articles before delivering them to you. Now, through ILLiad, we are able to offer you the option of electronic delivery of these articles in PDF format (Adobe's Portable Document Format). You can read more about electronic delivery on the Electronic Delivery Information page. Back to Top

12. Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about ILLiad?

You can contact the InterLibrary Loan office at (518) 276-8330 weekdays between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM or by email at ill-support. Other email support options are available from the CONTACT link located at the top of every RensSearch page.

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13. Why does my browser say that you're sending a cookie? What's in it?

The Active Server Pages technology that we use to provide live reporting for the web sends a Session ID to be stored on your machine. You can refuse this cookie and still be able to use the ILL web pages and ILLiad without any problems.

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14. Why does email from ILLiad look like gibberish on my computer?

This was a problem for a few ILLiad customers in 1997/1998 and occurred because some readers were not MIME-compliant. On a UNIX computer, the problem can be resolved if you or your system administrator upgrade your mail system to be MIME-compliant. One solution is to use a program named metamail.

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