diff --git a/module/VuFind/src/VuFind/Controller/AjaxController.php b/module/VuFind/src/VuFind/Controller/AjaxController.php
index af4244d91d1318d60d490e66ad2aad6efbfefa4f..1b44d47b1a0cb314e85b45ea85465fffa3ec373e 100644
--- a/module/VuFind/src/VuFind/Controller/AjaxController.php
+++ b/module/VuFind/src/VuFind/Controller/AjaxController.php
@@ -1500,4 +1500,32 @@ class AjaxController extends AbstractBase
     {
         return $this->getServiceLocator()->get('VuFind\SearchResultsPluginManager');
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Get Ils Status
+     *
+     * This will check the ILS for being online and will return the ils-offline
+     * template upon failure.
+     *
+     * @return \Zend\Http\Response
+     * @author André Lahmann <lahmann@ub.uni-leipzig.de>
+     */
+    protected function getIlsStatusAjax()
+    {
+        $this->disableSessionWrites();  // avoid session write timing bug
+        if ($this->getILS()->getOfflineMode(true) == 'ils-offline') {
+            $offlineModeMsg = $this->params()->fromPost(
+                'offlineModeMsg',
+                $this->params()->fromQuery('offlineModeMsg')
+            );
+            return $this->output(
+                $this->getViewRenderer()->render(
+                    'Helpers/ils-offline.phtml',
+                    compact('offlineModeMsg')
+                ),
+                self::STATUS_OK
+            );
+        }
+        return $this->output('', self::STATUS_OK);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/themes/bootstrap3/templates/search/home.phtml b/themes/bootstrap3/templates/search/home.phtml
index 551a20c336abefb9f4d9c799a3c3396d6909e823..9008d04339455cd055c15bb3e3963219544830d0 100644
--- a/themes/bootstrap3/templates/search/home.phtml
+++ b/themes/bootstrap3/templates/search/home.phtml
@@ -19,7 +19,22 @@
 ?>
 
 <div class="searchHomeContent">
-  <?=($this->ils()->getOfflineMode() == "ils-offline") ? $this->render('Helpers/ils-offline.phtml', ['offlineModeMsg' => 'ils_offline_home_message']) : ''?>
+  <?
+  $ilsStatusScript = <<<JS
+      $(document).ready(function() {
+        $.ajax({
+            dataType: 'json',
+            method: 'GET',
+            data: {'offlineModeMsg':'ils_offline_home_message'},
+            url: VuFind.path + '/AJAX/JSON?method=getIlsStatus',
+            success: function(response) {
+                $('.searchHomeContent').append(response.data);
+            }
+        });
+      });
+JS;
+  ?>
+  <?=$this->inlineScript(\Zend\View\Helper\HeadScript::SCRIPT, $ilsStatusScript, 'SET'); ?>
   <div class="well well-lg clearfix" role="search">
     <?=$this->context($this)->renderInContext("search/searchbox.phtml", ['ignoreHiddenFilterMemory' => true])?>
   </div>