News: Important changes to Interlibrary loan and RACER

Published: March 13, 2023

Beginning March 20th, 2023, we will be switching to Omni – and a new Omni ILL request form – for all interlibrary loan requests. The Omni ILL request form will allow us to deliver articles and requests for book chapters faster than RACER allows (within 24 hours for most requested items) and will allow us to reach more Interlibrary Loan partners across the world for all types of requests, including requests for books, because of improved communication with partner libraries using the Omni system.

Physical items will be delivered to Laurier Library (Waterloo) for pick-up on the main floor of the Library, in Brantford at the Brantford Public Library, or in Kitchener at the Social Work library (for current FSW students, staff and faculty only). Book chapters and article requests will be delivered digitally to your Laurier email address.

Why are we changing to a new system?

Our vendor (Scholars Portal) has informed us that they will retire the RACER software and website in the next few months
Omni provides improved access to materials and speed for delivering most requests

What will happen on March 20th?

The Omni request ILL form will be live for placing requests for any books, book chapters, and journal articles that you cannot find in the Omni search engine on the Library homepage

You will be prompted to log-in to Omni to place a request using your Laurier Single Sign-On credentials

The RACER site will no longer be available, and you will not be able to log-in at RACER to place any new requests through the RACER system

What about the RACER requests that I placed so far this semester but have not yet received?

Laurier Library ILL Loan staff will still have access to RACER for a short time during our transition to Omni. Staff will be able to monitor and receive pre-existing RACER requests to ensure your access to research materials
You will receive notification of items as they arrived for you by email. If the item is a book, you will be able to pick it up at the user services desk

Why is this change happening so quickly?

We have been testing the new request system for the past several months and are very pleased with the improved communication, responsiveness, and delivery speed of the new system
The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) decided to coordinate the roll-out of the Omni ILL form across all Omni schools at the same time. Most schools indicated that they would prefer to make the switch to the new system as soon as possible to give their library users an improved interlibrary loan experience while faculty and students are still actively requesting resources in the Winter 2023 semester

Where will I go to place a request?

The link to the new Omni ILL request form will be available from within the Omni search engine and from the Library homepage in the drop-down list of options under Services > Borrowing Services > Request from Other Libraries

Where can I get help to place a request after the change?

Library staff at the user services desk will be happy to orient you to the new links and Omni ILL request form beginning on March 20th, 2023. Drop by during our service hours or contact us by email at libraryhelp@wlu.ca for more information and support

Should you have any questions or concerns about this change that have not been addressed in this news item, please feel free to contact the Head, User and Access Services, Michelle Goodridge at mgoodridge@wlu.ca