Request Renewal Without Assigning a New Due Date
Currently, staff must add an extended due date when requesting a renewal from the lender. This new due date appears in ILLiad and is visible to the patron. However, the lender may choose a different due date or deny the renewal altogether. If denied, the request reverts to the original due date. This can be problematic, especially during breaks, as patrons might see the extended due date and plan accordingly, only to find the due date has reverted, making it difficult to return the book on time.
Suggestion: Allow renewals to be sent to lenders without requiring staff to select a new due date. Once the lender responds, ILLiad can automatically update the due date accordingly.
When evaluating this workflow, other considerations may arise. For instance, a new queue could temporarily hold pending renewal requests for a few days. Patrons could be notified that their renewal request will be accepted or denied within three business days. If lenders do not respond or deny the renewal without extending the due date, the request could automatically be updated to extend by three days and the status changed back to Checked Out. Also, A lender's automatic renewal preferences could be adjusted within a Customization Manager's table or managed manually according to the lender's choice
terry.palacios
shared this idea
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K. Zdepski commented
I think this would be really helpful!
I would suggest a longer extension than three days if the lender doesn't respond to confirm or deny; the Interlibrary Loan Code 4.14 says "Request a renewal before the item is due whenever possible. If the supplying library does not respond, the requesting library may assume that a renewal has been granted, extending the due date by the same length of time as the original loan."
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terry.palacios
commented
My pitch😊 Consider a renewal process where staff can request renewals from lenders without having to assign a temporary, arbitrary due date. Once the lender responds, ILLiad would automatically adjust the due date, significantly reducing patron confusion and enhancing the overall user experience.