We encourage EFTS users to explore their library’s EFTS dashboard and its many features. There are reporting tools, for example, with flexible parameters, that will help you track your lending and borrowing activity.
Important: most libraries will need to manually approve the transactions under “Lending > Unbilled” often to ensure timely payment of the fees owed to their library.
It’s also useful to review your library’s contact information, fee tables, and deposit settings periodically to keep details up to date.
EFTS staff are available to help with questions or concerns. These Frequently Asked Questions also will help you use your dashboard’s features.
How can a new staff member access our EFTS account?
Please send an access request in writing, using an email from your institutional account. Identify your DOCLINE-issued, 6-letter LIBID and the new user’s name and email address. EFTS staff will check whether this person needs an MLA profile and will help with the next steps.
Do I need to join MLA to participate in EFTS?
No. MLA membership is not required, only an active DOCLINE account. The MLA profile used for EFTS access is free.
How do I know our current account balance?
Your current balance is given in the EFTS dashboard. It is also stated in the weekly “EFTS Status / Actions” email, sent to your library’s EFTS administrative contacts.
Where do I see the view lending and borrowing activity?
Under “Lending” and “Borrowing,” you’ll see 4 secondary tabs: Unbilled, Receivables/Payables, Paid, and Refund. In these areas, you’ll see transactions and can apply filters to retrieve and export data for reporting.
How do I approve fees for recent transactions?
The “Lending > Unbilled” section lists transactions that have not been approved. Use the left-side checkbox to select, approve, and bill transactions that are priced correctly. After a transaction is approved, its status changes from “Not Approved” to “Unbilled,” and later reconciles when payment arrives from the borrower’s account.
How can I change an incorrect lending fee?
In this same section, you can open the “…” link to the right side of the transaction. Edit and approve the new fee.
When do transactions reconcile?
In most cases, the fee you charge a borrowing library will be paid overnight, after you’ve approved it. If the borrowing library has insufficient funds or is in monthly “Invoice Configuration” mode, the payment will be delayed, however.
How do I add funds to our account?
Open the “Cash” tab in your EFTS dashboard and select the blue “Deposit” button at far right. Follow the steps to create a new invoice. Your designated “Billing Address” contact will receive an email from Bill.com, with the deposit invoice as a PDF attachment. If you are running low on funds regularly, you can adjust the threshold receiving an invoice and the invoice amount under “Deposit Settings.”
How can I pay an EFTS invoice by check?
Please mail a check to the “233 S Wacker Dr” address shown on the EFTS invoice. (If payment is mailed to the Carol Stream, IL, remittance address that is used non-EFTS payments to MLA, EFTS staff will apply the payment to the EFTS invoice.)
How can I pay an EFTS invoice by credit card?
Within the Bill.com email that sent you the EFTS deposit invoices is a link to the credit card payment portal at Bill.com. Bill.com will guide you through the payment process.
How can I send ACH payments from my institution to EFTS?
EFTS staff can work with you and your accounts payable staff to set up a vendor profile so you can make ACH payments directly to EFTS.
Do I need to link our institution’s bank account with Bill.com?
No. EFTS uses Bill.com for EFTS deposits. However, you do not need to give Bill.com your institution’s bank account and routing details to set up electronic payments to Bill.com. You may pay EFTS directly, by check and by ACH, and bypass Bill.com.
How do I delete an unneeded invoice?
You’ll see your existing invoices using the “Unsettled Deposit Activity” link in your dashboard. If any of them are no longer needed, open the “…” link to the right of the invoice and then delete it.
We’ve nearly run out of funds. Will our account be suspended?
If you hit a $0 balance, your account will not be suspended right away. Out of consideration for other libraries, however, you need to make a deposit as soon as feasible. Please contact EFTS so we can discuss your payment timeline.
How can I see our lending fees schedule?
Under “Settings > IL Transaction Settings” is a table (or multiple tables) of fees that you charge other libraries for their borrowing. When DOCLINE exports transactions to EFTS for payment, fees are assigned to transactions according to this table. If your lending transactions appear without a fee, it’s because this table is incomplete.
You can enter or update your fees for standard service types. If you are a member of a library group with special pricing, you also will find a table with custom pricing for that group, in the pull-down menu with “Default.”
How do a charge a special fee (including no fee) to specific libraries?
You can edit fees one-by-one in “Lending > Unbilled.” However, if these libraries form a DOCLINE-recognized group, you can add a pricing table for the group under ILL Pricing Table. If these libraries do not form a DOCLINE-recognized group, you can create a custom pricing group (under “Settings”) and then create an ILL Pricing Table for the custom group.
How do I request a refund for an incorrect transaction?
At “Borrowing > Paid,” open the “….” link to the right of the transaction in question and then use the request refund button. Specify the amount and reason for the request, and then submit. The lending library will approve the request afterward.
How can I issue a refund?
At “Lending > Paid,” open the “….” link to the right of the transaction in question and then use the issue refund button.
How do I upload lending transactions manually?
EFTS is designed to automatically price transactions exported from DOCLINE so all you need to do is approve them.
However, you may manually upload transactions under “Lending,” using the “Manual Enter” link. You can enter DOCLINE transactions by identifying key details. You may also enter other types of charges to EFTS libraries.
The “Upload” button will allow you to process a batch of transactions using an EFTS compatible file in .txt format. You will receive error messages when:
- A LIBID in the upload file does not match an EFTS member
- The file format does not match an expected EFTS file format (parsing error)
After successfully uploading an EFTS file, you will see confirmations or warnings:
- Accepted. The transaction was accepted by EFTS for billing.
- Duplicate – Success. The transaction was accepted by EFTS but is a duplicate. That means that a prior transaction has not yet been billed, so we accept the more recently submitted transaction for billing.
- Duplicate – Unsuccessful. The transaction is a duplicate, and the previously uploaded transaction has already been billed, so we cannot accept the more recently submitted duplicate transaction for billing.
- Invalid Borrower – Unsuccessful. The request was billed to a borrower that is not participating in EFTS and cannot be billed.
- Invalid Request ID – Unsuccessful. The request ID in the EFTS file is missing or invalid.
If you contact EFTS for help, please provide your LIBID and the error message(s) you received.