Request Material from the Virtual Catalog

  1. When a patron requests material that is not available in NOBLE, place a request for the title in the Virtual Catalog:
    1. Select Search Virtual Catalog
    2. Click the Request button for your title
    3. Edit Patron Information – Fill in the Patron ID (barcode), Name, and Pickup Location. For patron confidentiality, please enter the barcode in the Name field.
    4. Click Save Changes
    5. Click Submit Request
  2. To inquire on your request, you can search by patron barcode or request number. Make sure you click an appropriate radio button.
    1. Requests made to your library – These are requests made by other networks to NOBLE.
    2. Requests made by your library’s patrons – These are requests made by NOBLE staff or NOBLE patrons.

    3. All current requests – These are both requests made by you or your patrons and requests made to NOBLE.

    Requests that have been made are status PENDING until they are acted on by a lending library.

  3. Virtual Catalog requests should arrive within a few days. Libraries are expected to act on requests daily. Materials will age for 5 days before being moved to the next available lender. After 30 days, the request will expire if it has not been filled.
  4. When your book arrives from the lender, do the following:
    1. Receive Loans in the Virtual Catalog
    2. Enter the request # and the item barcode. If you can’t read the item barcode that is on the item, then you can place one of your own barcodes on the book slip in the place provided. If you add a temporary barcode, enter that in the barcode field.

      This updates the status of the item to RECEIVED, which means the borrowing library has the material. A bib and item is created in the NOBLE system and an item hold is placed for the patron. The item added will be the barcode that you entered when you received the item.

    3. Checkin the item using Evergreen.
      This will trigger the hold and set the item on the hold shelf. A notice will be printed.

    4. Checkout the item to the patron using Evergreen.
      Virtual Catalog items have been set to circulate for 28 days. The item is due back at the lending library after 56 days.

  5. When the patron returns the book. You need to do the following:
    1. Checkin the item using Evergreem.
      Evergreen should alert you that this is a virtual catalog item that needs to be sent home. The book band should still be on the book which is another clue that this is a virtual catalog item.

    2. Return Loans in the Virtual Catalog.
      Enter the request number that is written on the book band. This will set the book to status RETURNED.

    3. Place a region delivery slip on the book and send it back to the owning library. The Virtual Catalog slip should remain on the item.