Crowdsourcing the Safe Return of ILL Physical Items

OCLC, an international non-profit library co-operative that operates an inter-library loan platform, is asking librarians to help crowdsource the safe return of ILL physical items.

From an e-mail message to libraries:

"Interlibrary loan is the embodiment of sharing on a global scale. When COVID-19 hit, nearly 400,000 physical items were on loan to 5,674 libraries via the WorldShare ILL network."

"As these libraries begin to reopen, ILL professionals need to know if, and when, to send items back to their home library. If items are mailed to libraries that are not open and able to receive them, there is a high probability they will be lost or damaged, or libraries will incur additional fees because items are undeliverable."

"Help crowdsource the safe return of ILL physical items. At the request of the ILL community, and to support this urgent need, we are providing an easy way for you to signal when it is safe to mail physical items back to your library.

1. Please add your library to the crowdsourced list: oc.lc/mailform
2. Update your library’s status over time by following the instructions you will receive in your confirmation email
3. View the status of all libraries: oc.lc/mailstatus"