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United States National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

FAQ
DOCLINE -- Routing

Question: How does Routing work?
Answer:

Here's a Quick Guide to DOCLINE Routing:

Routing Order:

1. Prefix LIBID (if entered)
The routing algorithm will only route a request to a library IF
a. the selected delivery method is supported by that institution (to check, search for the library's Institution Record and choose Interlibrary Loan View) AND
b. the institution is an active DOCLINE participant at the time of routing.

Holdings are checked for the Prefixed library, but will route regardless.

2. Routing Table (using cells selected)
The routing algorithm will only route a request to a library IF
a. that institution reports holding either the volume or year of the title AND
b. the selected delivery method is supported by that institution (to check, search for the library's Institution Record and choose Interlibrary Loan View) AND
c. the institution is an active DOCLINE participant at the time of routing.

3. Resource Libraries (if Refer to Resource Libraries selected)
The routing algorithm will only route a request to a library IF
a. that institution reports holding either the volume or year of the title AND
b. the selected delivery method is supported by that institution (to check, search for the library's Institution Record and choose Interlibrary Loan View) AND
c. the institution did not previously reject the request AND
d. the institution is an active DOCLINE participant at the time of routing.

4. NLM (if "Route to NLM" is set to "Yes")
Request will route to NLM; its holdings are not checked.
NLM supports all delivery methods.

5. Refer on after NLM (if selected)
The routing algorithm will only route a request to a Resource library IF
a. that institution reports holding either the volume or year of the title AND
b. the selected delivery method is supported by that institution (to check, search for the library's Institution Record and choose Interlibrary Loan View) AND
c. the institution did not previously reject the request AND
d. the institution is an active DOCLINE participant at the time of routing.

If the system does not find a total of 20 resource libraries and/or primary access libraries that report holding the title, then it determines if the following four libraries report holding the title and either the volume or year: 1) American Hospital Association Library, 2) American Dental Association Library, 3) National Agricultural Library; and 4) Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information.

Routing Order (Manual Requests):

1. LIBIDs on Routing Instructions page.
Holdings are not checked.
Request is routed to the institutions designated IF
a. LIBID is valid AND
b. The selected delivery method is supported by that institution (to check, search for the library's Institution Record and choose Interlibrary Loan View) AND
c. the institution is an active DOCLINE participant at the time of routing.

2. NLM (if "Route to NLM" is set to "Yes")
Request will route to NLM; its holdings are not checked.
NLM supports all delivery methods.

Remember that you can establish request defaults in your Borrowing Preferences. Click on the Institutions tab at the top of the screen, and then click the "Update (LIBID)" button to edit your institution's information.  Click on the "DOCLINE Options" button in the sidebar on the left.  Make changes to the fields under Borrowing Preferences.  Click on the Save button at the top of the "DOCLINE Options" page to save your changes.

Related Questions:
How do I temporarily deactivate my DOCLINE account?
How does Refer to Resource Libaries work?
How does Refer on after NLM work?
How do I change the routing instructions in my request?
How do I prevent a request from routing to NLM?

Return to the top | Return to the list of DOCLINE FAQs | Return to the list of NLM FAQs
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/doc_routing.html

Last updated: 06 May 2004
First published: 27 August 2003
Metadata| Permanence level: Permanence Not Guaranteed