Answers to
Frequently Asked Questions about ILLiad
- What is ILLiad?
- How is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?
- Are there any
disadvantages to the electronic system?
- Why do I need a
username and password to use ILLiad?
- What if I forget my password?
- What Web browser
should I use?
- Is security a problem if I use a
public workstation?
- Why don't I see all my older
requests when I look at my request history?
- What is Electronic Delivery?
- Who do I contact if I
have problems with or questions about ILLiad?
- Why does my browser say that you're
sending a cookie? What's in it?
How
is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?
- You will find it easier to submit your interlibrary
loan requests. With ILLiad, you enter your name,
address, and other personal information into the system only once, at the
time of your first request.
- 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.
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.
Is
security a problem if I use a public workstation?
Yes. Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation. This allows a subsequent user of the workstation to access the system under your name 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. If you are concerned about the security of your interlibrary loan requests, you can take the following steps:
- Access ILLiad only from your
personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation.
- Access ILLiad from a public
workstation in the Interlibrary Loan office in the library. These computers
are supervised by the library staff.
- When using a public access workstation:
- Delete from the history
file those pages that contain your personal information.
- Exit from the Web
browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from
accessing the pages you were using.
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.