It is also possible to export records directly to a local system. In addition to current cataloging, OCLC offers several options for retrospective conversion at a reduced rate. The Interlibrary Loan System provides access to the collections of over 27,000 OCLC members. On the average, material requested through the ILL Subsystem is shipped within four days, and 90 percent of all ILL requests are filled. At the workstation, the requesting library searches for a bibliographic record and associated holdings.
Serial union listing data, as well as bibliographic locations, are available.
It then requests an ILL work form and enters up to five locations. The system automatically fills in the bibliographic information and other data specific to the library, such as the shipping address. When the request is sent, it appears immediately in the incoming message file of the first potential lender. If the first potential lender cannot lend the item, the request goes immediately to the second potential lender, and so on. The system tracks the transaction through completion.