Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about ILLiad

Contents

  1. What is ILLiad?
  2. How is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?
  3. Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?
  4. What if I forget my password?
  5. What Web browser should I use?
  6. Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?
  7. Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?
  8. What is Electronic Delivery?
  9. Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about ILLiad?
  10. Why does my browser say that you're sending a cookie? What's in it?
  11. What if I can't login to ILLiad?

What is ILLiad?

ILLiad is the electronic system Buffalo State faculty, staff and students will use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan. The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for InterLibrary Loan internet accessible database.

Beginning January 2004, all four year SUNY colleges will begin using the system. ILLiad is used to request and keep track of interlibrary loan requests and will take place of all paper forms.

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How is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?

  1. 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.
  2. Your request will be handled more rapidly and accurately as problems relating to misinterpretation of hand-written requests are eliminated.
  3. You can get many of your photocopies more quickly through Electronic Delivery.
  4. 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.
  5. ILL staff 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.
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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 must be your official Buffalo State SABRE or e-mail username. Accounts created with non-official usernames will be deleted. Your password 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. 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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What if I forget my password?

If you forget your password, call the ILL office at 878-6310 or send us an e-mail: library-ill@buffalostate.edu. We will need to arrange a time for you to come in to our office with your SUNYcard to re-set your password. This procedure is required to ensure library security and privacy issues.

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What Web browser should I use?

You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and, preferably, one that can handle frames. Browsers are available for Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

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Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?

In public labs on the Buffalo State campus, you are required to log on to the campus network. After using ILLiad, or any other secure web system, you should always log out and log off the network and restart the computer.

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

From time to time we need to purge older records from ILLiad. Our policy is to keep requests online for several years order to comply with record keeping requirements of the copyright law.

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What is electronic delivery?

Many libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. In the past we printed these articles and you picked the up at the ILL office. 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.

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

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

The Active Server Pages technology that ILLiad uses 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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What if I can't login to ILLiad?

There could be several reasons. BEFORE calling for technical support, please check the following:

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