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Shared Resource Sharing Analytics Reports

OhioLINK uses Ex Libris' Rapido to share physical resources among OhioLINK and SearchOhio libraries.

General Information OhioLINK Pods SearchOhio Pods Other Pods

General Information

Rapido lending and borrowing is built on the idea of pods, or groups of libraries that share material under a common set of terms. Additionally, Rapido makes use of terms at both the pod and fulfillment unit levels. This means that some settings are controlled by OhioLINK via the pods themselves, and some settings are controlled in each library's IZ via the resource sharing fulfillment unit.

Settings controlled at the pod level
  • delivery time
  • loan period (days)
  • cost
  • allow renewal
  • allow automatic renewal
  • max renewals allowed
  • expiry time (days)
Setting  controlled at the fulfillment unit level
  • resource sharing eligibility
  • request limits
  • allowed pickup locations
  • fees
  • personal delivery

In each member library's IZ, there is at least one library that is designated as a resource sharing library. For libraries that have more than one courier stop, there will be one resource sharing library per courier stop. 

OhioLINK Pods

OhioLINK maintains a set of 6 private pods; these pods are only open to OhioLINK member libraries. They are: 

  • OhioLINK - Cleveland Hub
  • OhioLINK - Columbus Hub
  • OhioLINK - Cincinnati Hub
  • OhioLINK - Dayton Hub
  • OhioLINK - Toledo Hub
  • OhioLINK

Each resource sharing library has been added to two pods: the regional pod (based on the library's courier delivery code) and the main OhioLINK pod.

This setup allows requests to first be filled within the library's courier region, and if an item cannot be filled through a nearby library the request will then attempt to be filled from any OhioLINK resource sharing library across the state. By trying to fill requests within a courier region first, the amount of time that it takes to deliver an item to the requesting patron is minimized. 

Resource sharing libraries may not be added to additional OhioLINK pods or be removed from their assigned pods. 

The lending terms in all OhioLINK pods are the same

OhioLINK Pod Terms (Consortially Set) Setting
Delivery time 5 days
Loan period (days) 42 days
Cost $0.00
Allow renewal Yes
Allow automatic renewal Yes
Max renewals allowed 6
Expiry time (days) 4 days

Locally, libraries will need to adjust their settings in the resource sharing fulfillment unit to match other agreed-upon consortial lending policies

OhioLINK Pod Terms (Locally Set) Setting
Resource sharing eligibility See existing limits
Request limits See existing limits
Allowed pickup locations Locally determined
Fees See existing policy
Personal delivery Locally determined

SearchOhio Pods

Lending with SearchOhio libraries is not currently available. OhioLINK and SearchOhio are currently testing the new Rapido Consortial Borrowing tool, and lending is expected to resume in early 2026. 

OhioLINK libraries participate in reciprocal lending with SearchOhio libraries. This is managed by a system of 4 additional Rapido pods: 

  • SearchOhio requesting from OhioLINK (7 day - DVD)
  • SearchOhio requesting from OhioLINK (21 day - Book)
  • OhioLINK requesting from SearchOhio (7 day - DVD)
  • OhioLINK requesting from SearchOhio (21 day - Book)

OhioLINK resource sharing libraries will be added to all four pods, but loanable items from each OhioLINK IZ should only be contributed to the first two pods. These pods will be added below the OhioLINK pods in the Rapido rota; this will cause Rapido to try to fill requests from OhioLINK libraries first (providing better loan terms to patrons) and then move on to the SearchOhio pods as needed. 

There are two sets of terms that these pods make use of: one for the 7-day loan items, and one for the 21-day loan items. Both OhioLINK loaned items and SearchOhio loaned items use the same settings. 

OhioLINK/SearchOhio Pod Terms (Consortially Set) 7 day (DVD) 21 day (Book)
Delivery time 5 days 5 days
Loan period (days) 7 days 21 days
Cost $0.00 $0.00
Allow renewal Yes Yes
Allow automatic renewal Yes Yes
Max renewals allowed 3 3
Expiry time (days)

4 days (OL)

7 days (SO)

4 days (OL)

7 days (SO)

Like with the OhioLINK-only pods above, Rapido will pull some settings from each IZ's local fulfillment unit. This includes resource sharing eligibility; request limits; allowed pickup locations; fees; and personal delivery. 

Other Pods

Beyond the OhioLINK and SearchOhio pods, there are a number of other regional, national, and international pods available through Rapido. OhioLINK libraries are able to join these pods if desired; joining one of these pods indicates that the library will follow the lending terms given for each pod. 

Note that in Rapido, the local fulfillment settings will apply equally to items coming from any Rapido pod; Rapido does not allow for different settings to be applied depending on where an item is being loaned from. So, for example, if a patron is limited to 50 Rapido requests, then the patron will be blocked from making additional Rapido requests after a total of 50 items have been requested from any combination of OhioLINK, SearchOhio, or other pods.