Document Delivery: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) on CISTI's Document Delivery Services. For additional information, visit CISTI's Contact Us page. FAQ's on other subjects are available under Help.

Registration
Ordering
Cancelling
Receiving
Secure Desktop Delivery
Loans and Renewals
Order Tracker
Billing

Registration

Q. How can I start ordering documents from CISTI?
A. Register to obtain your password and account number. You will need your password and account number each time you order.

Q. I forgot my password. Can you get it for me?
A. If you forget your password, fill out this form, and our system will e-mail it to you immediatly.

To keep your password secure, we ask for your account number and e-mail address. We check that the information you provide matches your client file, and then e-mail the password directly to you. If the information does not match our records, a Client Services representative will contact the account holder.

Ordering

Q. How can I let CISTI know that I only want a copy of a section of a book and not the whole book?
A. State which format you want in the Special Instructions when you order the item. e.g. "Copy only", and state which pages.

Q. How can I ensure that I get an excellent quality copy for those times when graphics are vital to the information?
A. To obtain a copy when the resolution and clarity of the graphic needs to be superior, we recommend that you choose "Clean" or "Colour" from the "levels of service" drop down menu on the CISTI order form. If you don't know whether the graphics are in colour or not, you can put the message "Clean copy if no colour graphics" in the Special Instructions. This ensures that you receive either a Colour (if colour appears) or a Clean copy (for non-colour graphics).

Q. What is Max Cost (Maximum Cost) and how does it work?
A. You can specify an upper limit that you are willing to spend for a particular document by inputting that amount into the Max Cost field for a given order. The Max Cost is measured against the combination of the CISTI price for the document and the copyright charge. If the cost of a document order exceeds your Max Cost, the order is cancelled. We suggest that you set your Max Cost at a level which is high enough to avoid unwanted cancellations. The amount you choose will vary depending on a number of factors, including the cost of the document (see our Price List.) and the copyright fee. Specifying your Max Cost is possible regardless of how you order.

Clients can establish a default maximum cost which applies to all orders. This will automatically identify an upper limit on all orders under a given account and cannot be changed on an order by order basis. To have this arranged, contact the Registration unit by calling 1-800-668-1222 or 613 998-8544.

Q. How can I request Extended Supply level service when I place an order using DOCLINE, LOANSOME DOC, or OCLC?
A.To request Extended Supply service when using one of the above ordering systems, type your request (using the format specified below) into the correct area for each ordering system.

DOCLINE and LOANSOME DOC:

Enter CISTIEXTENDED into the Comments area and enter CAI up to 5 times depending on how soon you need your document.

OCLC:

Enter CISTIEXTENDED into the Borrowing Notes area and enter CAI up to 5 times depending on how soon you need your document.

Note: OCLC clients who share the same OCLC symbol with other libraries should also append their CISTI account number in Borrowing Notes using this format: **CAIaccountno** (e.g. **CAIDD123456**).

Q. How can I order any of the Custom Services on OCLC, DOCLINE, LOANSOME DOC and AVISO?
A. Clients using DOCLINE, LOANSOME DOC, OCLC and AVISO can place Urgent, Colour, Clean and Special handling requests as follows.

DOCLINE:

For urgent, clean and special requests, enter one of the following terms, as appropriate, in the Comments area of the DOCLINE order form: CISTIURGENT, CISTICLEAN or CISTIOTHER

For colour copies, choose the "Color Copy" option on the Docline Routing Instructions Screen.

LOANSOME DOC, OCLC and AVISO:

To request a Custom Service when using one of the above ordering systems, type your request (using the format specified below) into the correct area* for each ordering system.

*For LOANSOME DOC use the Comments area

*For OCLC use the Borrowing Notes; Note: OCLC clients who share the same OCLC symbol with other libraries should also append their CISTI account number in Borrowing Notes using this format: **CAIaccountno** (e.g. **CAIDD123456**).

*For AVISO, use the Special Instructions area

Q. Several libraries in our organization share the same OCLC symbol. How can we ensure orders to CISTI result in correct delivery?
A. Normally, OCLC clients do not need to include their CISTI account number when ordering, because their OCLC symbol identifies them. However, if you share the same OCLC symbol with several libraries, you should enter your unique CISTI account number (CAI) in the Borrowing Notes area.

Enter it as **CAIaccountno** for fast processing by our automated system. For example, if your CISTI account number is dd123456 then enter **CAIDD123456**

Q. Why do I sometimes receive a loan, when I've ordered a copy?
A. CISTI reserves the right to lend instead of copy in some circumstances. If your account has a loan restriction, your order will be cancelled.

Q. How can I order a patent, standard or thesis from CISTI?
A. You can order patents at the Extended level of service. Supply level of service. Patents are generally delivered within 72 hrs and the current cost of the Extended Supply service is $22.00 plus applicable taxes. If you have your document delivered electronically. You can order patents using CISTI's blank order form. Be sure to select "EXTENDED" as the level of service and type "PATENT" in the special instructions area.

Standards and Theses are also supplied at the Extended level. The cost of standards and theses varies, starting at a minimum of $22.00 plus applicable taxes. Be sure to select "EXTENDED" as the level of service when ordering standards or theses and type "STANDARD" or "THESIS" in the special instruction area of the order form.

Q. When I order a thesis - why do I sometimes receive a microfiche?
A. Certain suppliers only provide loans of microfiche due to copyright restrictions.

Q. If I order an article through Extended, but CISTI provides the article through Direct Service, do I still have to pay the higher Extended Supply rate?
A. CISTI always supplies your document using the lowest cost service that meets your needs. If, for example, you order a document through Extended Supply Service, and we can provide it through Direct Service, you pay the lowest cost. For copies, that means you would pay $12.50 plus copyright for an article delivered from the CISTI collection, even if your order indicated that you were willing to go a higher level if necessary.

Q: How can I arrange to have an order sent to a fax number that's different from the one that is in my client profile?
A: There are two ways to specify your fax number when you place an order at the Direct or Urgent level of service. In both cases, we will override your regular delivery method or fax address and deliver the order to the fax number that you specify on the form.

If you are using one of the blank order forms or when ordering through the catalogue or CISTI Source, type the fax number that you want us to use in the box labelled "alternate fax number for delivery of this order" on the order form.

or

When ordering by any other means, type "Please deliver by fax" in the special instructions box on the order form, followed by the area code and fax number.

Q: Can I have an order delivered by fax if I normally use a different delivery method?
A: Yes. You can use one of the methods described above to receive an order by fax, even if you are not registered for fax delivery.

Q: Does CISTI provide access to unpublished supplementary data?
A: Yes. When authors submit their supplementary data to CISTI, it is catalogued and added to the Depository of Unpublished Data (DUD. For detailed information on either ordering or submitting supplementary data, see http://cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/cms/unpub_e.html

Cancelling

Q. How can I cancel a Direct order?
A. There is a small window of 15 minutes or less when you can cancel a Direct order that you have just placed. You can cancel an order by clicking on the Cancel button on the CISTI catalogue order form or the blank order form, or you can cancel an order by going to Order Tracker. To cancel an order using Order Tracker, after logging in, click on the "Cancel Orders" link in the top menu. The system will respond with a screen listing the orders that you have just input. Click on the box next to the order that you want to cancel, then click on the "cancel order" box in the bottom right hand corner of the page. On the next screen, you will be asked to confirm the cancellation. You can either confirm or choose not to cancel. If you confirm, the order will be cancelled and you will get a message confirming the cancellation. If you want to cancel an order more than 15 minutes after the order was placed, you can do so, as long as the document has not been scanned yet, by contacting the Help Desk .

Q. Can I cancel an Extended Supply order?
A. To cancel an Extended Supply order, speak to the Help Desk to determine if the order can be cancelled. If the supplier is going to invoice CISTI and the order is being sent within the service turn-around time, no credit will be given.

Receiving

Q. What are my options for receiving Urgent service documents?
A. CISTI guarantees that you will receive Urgent service documents, or their cancellation messages, within 2 hours when delivery is by fax or ariel and if the order is received at CISTI by 8:00 pm ET. At your request, or for loans and longer documents, Urgent service items are sent by overnight courier.

Q. Why did I receive delivery by courier instead of my regular delivery method?
A. CISTI reserves the right, under special circumstances, to convert fax or ariel orders to courier. All loans are delivered by courier.

Loans and Renewals

Q. Can I borrow any of CISTI's material?
A. In addition to having copies made of journal articles and conference papers, you can borrow books, and some conference proceedings. CISTI does not lend reference material, freelance translations, microforms or rare books.

Q. For how long may I keep a book that I've borrowed from CISTI?
A. Six weeks

Q. How can I renew a book that I have borrowed from CISTI?
A. To renew an item, all you need to do is borrow it again. The quickest way to renew your loan is to go to the CISTI catalogue, find the online record for the item and resubmit your order. Specify loan extension request in Special Instructions.

Q. Where do I return CISTI books?
A. Please return books to the Onsite Services Dept. CISTI, National Research Council Canada, Montreal Road Campus, M-55, Room 104, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, by the due date indicated on the loan slip. For your convenience, we include an address label with the book.

Q. Where do I return a Canadian Agriculture Library book?
A. Please return the book directly to the Canadian Agriculture Library, by the due date indicated on the loan slip. Their address is: Agriculture Canada, Canadian Agriculture Library, Sir John Carling Building, 930 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C5.

Q. Where do I return books that CISTI has borrowed for me from another library through the Extended Supply Service?
A. We ask that the books with the pink banners be returned by COURIER clearly addressed to the External Document Delivery Unit, Document Delivery, CISTI, National Research Council Canada, Montreal Road Campus, M-55, Room 29, Ottawa Ontario K1A 0R6 by the due date indicated on the pink banner. This procedure will help prevent books from being lost. Lost books cost you money and can jeopardize our borrowing privileges with other libraries.