The effect of DOCLINE on interlibrary loan volume and patterns among health sciences libraries in Michigan: preliminary analysis

Six years of statistics on interlibrary lending and borrowing among basic unit health sciences libraries in Michigan are examined to determine the effect of the availability of an automated interlibrary loan system, DOCLINE, on interlibrary lending volume and patterns within Michigan. A trend analysis projection of expected volume is made and the predicted value compared with the actual value following the adoption of the DOCLINE system. Interlibrary loan (ILL) volume is tested to see if yearly volume increases are statistically significant. The number of libraries changing from net lender to net borrower or the reverse after the adoption of DOCLINE is tracked. Results fail to support the expectation that DOCLINE would produce major change in ILL volume or pattern.     

Impact of DOCLINE on interlibrary loan service at the National Library of Medicine

In March 1985, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) began implementation of DOCLINE, its automated interlibrary loan request routing and referral system. By the end of fiscal year (FY) 1987, over 1,400 biomedical libraries in all seven regions of the Regional Medical Library network were using the system. This report summarizes the findings of an analysis of the interlibrary loan (ILL) requests received in FY 1987, comparing the results with a similar analysis done in FY 1984 to describe any changes in the requests or service which might be attributable to DOCLINE implementation. DOCLINE has had a substantial impact upon ILL loan service at NLM. An increase in the number of ILL requests (35% over FY 1984) can be attributed to the speed and ease with which requests may be routed to NLM through DOCLINE. Requests which cannot be filled by local or regional libraries are automatically routed by the system to NLM as the library of last resort. NLM's fill rate for serial requests has declined, however, from 78% filled in FY 1984 to 67% filled in FY 1987. Some of the decline results from the 11,000 requests that NLM did not fill because the borrowing libraries were not willing to pay the NLM charge for filling the loans.     

QuickDOC: an interlibrary loan department in a microcomputer

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a critical service in most libraries and one that may consume much staff time. QuickDOC, a software program written by a medical librarian, has been designed to expedite and organize the process of requesting loans, keeping records, and preparing reports on ILL activity. The software communicates with DOCLINE, the automated ILL and referral system of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), and simplifies the management of all borrowing and lending, regardless of how requests are transmitted. QuickDOC's creator is very responsive to suggestions from users and continues to enhance the capabilities of this excellent software package.     

Just-In-Time: A Case Study of Buying Instead of Borrowing at the University of North Texas Libraries, 2014–2017

There is a trend among academic libraries to increase collaboration between interlibrary loan and collection development to improve patron access to materials and build library collections. Instead of borrowing returnable materials, interlibrary loan may initiate purchases that will become part of the library's collection. This can mean anything from an organizational change combining interlibrary loan with the acquisitions unit or creating new workflows to facilitate purchasing. At the University of North Texas Libraries, the Interlibrary Loan office is a unit of the Access Services Department. Buying instead of borrowing for the ILL unit began with a Demand Driven Acquisitions (DDA) program and has expanded with the establishment of the University of North Texas Libraries' access-based collection development policy. Interlibrary Loan provides “Just-In-Time” (JIT) access to materials not available through regular interlibrary loan sources and adds relevant materials to the Libraries' collections.     

The Impacts of Library Services on Interlibrary Loan Requests Canceled due to Local Availability

Abstract

Interlibrary loan (ILL) services receive requests for resources that are available locally and form a major portion of canceled requests. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between requests canceled due to local availability and three aspects to identify impacts on ILL. The authors explored library service aspects such as collection format, the link resolver knowledge base, and discovery system functionality for potential influence on requests for locally available resources. Quantitative methods were used to identify evidence of different aspects’ impact through analysis of ILL borrowing request data. The most important finding was that the discovery system had impact on ILL services by improving retrievability of locally available resources published recently. The results suggest that a modern discovery system can efficiently provide more relevant results sourced from a carefully curated set of authoritative resources, save users’ time to access available materials, and reduce library staff members’ time and effort. This study will be helpful to libraries through its analysis of library services that impact the cancelation of ILL requests due to local availability and how those services may influence service improvement.     

Appendix 2

ABSTRACT

QuickDOC is a software package that enables Interlibrary Loan (ILL) staff to enter DOCUNE ILL requests offline and upload them quickly to the DOCLINE system. It also enables users to automatically collect a range of statistics and billing information. QuickDOC is designed to be flexible and can be used in a number of different ways. This study aimed to find out how ILL staff, particularly in larger, net lending libraries, are using it and how satisfied they were with it. The study found that QuickDOC is able to function in large ILL operations and measured user satisfaction is measured. The variety of uses is described and possible enhancements are discussed.     

Enriching Your Wealth of Resources by Marketing Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a service that increases user access to resources, however it is of little use if no one knows about it. ILL statistics at libraries generally show that the service as a whole is well used, but upon closer inspection it becomes clear that these high usage statistics are generated by library power users, and not by new, novice, or intermediate users. When conducting thorough research, it frequently extends beyond the holdings of an individual library, which makes ILL essential. Therefore, it is important for users to know about and use this service. While ILL enhances what libraries can offer, very few libraries focus their marketing on ILL. Instead, most libraries simply lump ILL into the marketing of library resources and services in general. In this article we analyze libraries that have broken out of the mold to market ILL in innovative, cost-effective ways, and we will share the marketing campaign we undertook at Wheaton College (IL).     

Borrowing trouble? The impact of a systematic review service on interlibrary loan borrowing in an academic health sciences library

Background:With the mandate to review all available literature in the study''s inclusion parameters, systematic review projects are likely to require full-text access to a significant number of articles that are not available in a library''s collection, thereby necessitating ordering content via interlibrary loan (ILL). The aim of this study is to understand what effect a systematic review service has on the copyright royalty fees accompanying ILL requests at an academic health sciences library.Case Presentation:The library created a custom report using ILLiad data to look specifically at 2018 ILL borrowing requests that were known to be part of systematic reviews. This subset of borrowing activity was then analyzed to determine its impact on the library''s copyright royalty expenditures for the year. In 2018, copyright eligible borrowing requests that were known to be part of systematic reviews represented only approximately 5% of total filled requests that involved copyright eligible borrowing. However, these systematic review requests directly or indirectly caused approximately 10% of all the Spencer S. Eccles Library copyright royalty expenditures for 2018 requests.Conclusion:Based on the sample data set, the library''s copyright royalty expenditures did increase, but the overall financial impact was modest.     

Self-Service Interlibrary Loan

Abstract

Technology is rapidly moving libraries toward a self-service interlibrary loan model. Patrons currently request books and articles through OCLC's unmediated ILL Direct Request service, and interlibrary loan management software enables users to request, track, and renew borrowed materials unassisted online. In addition, products such as SFX and Serials Solutions further expand unmediated requesting. Peer-to-peer resource sharing defined by the ISO ILL Protocol and direct consortial borrowing, which has become possible following the recently approved NCIP standard, encourage and support the widespread development of self-service interlibrary loan. As borrowing from other collections becomes an almost effortless process for library users, reference librarians must find ways to encourage patron use of local collections, as well as familiarize themselves with the mechanics of unmediated interlibrary loan to better assist patrons in their use of evolving interlibrary loan technology.     

The Illinois Interlibrary Loan Assessment Project II: revisiting statewide article sharing and assessing the impact of electronic full-text journals

This paper presents data from two statewide ILL studies conducted in Illinois in 1995/96 and 1999/00. The results from the two studies provide a longitudinal look at borrowing and lending in Illinois and with the second study confirm a journal resource-sharing model for the state. Further analysis of high-use titles was conducted to determine any impact the present availability of full-text electronic journals is having on ILL, and the potential impact full-text access to highly-requested titles could have on resource sharing in Illinois.     

Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Policy Comparison

ABSTRACT

Librarians charged with the responsibility of developing and revising the ILL policy for their library can draw upon the experiences of others by reading ILL policies of various libraries. After reading other policies and incorporating some of their ideas, librarians can be better prepared for otherwise unforeseen situations.

The study reported in this article takes the reading of these policies one step further by evaluating them to discover trends in service. ILL policies of forty-two (42) universities were located on the World Wide Web. Five categories related to the borrowing of materials were analyzed, and from this analysis, conclusions were drawn about current trends in ILL borrowing service. Awareness of these trends can be instrumental in helping librarians shape a successful ILL policy.     

广州大学城自建馆际互借系统探析

着眼现代图书馆文献资源共建共享、协同服务的发展趋势,以广州大学城自建十所高校图书馆馆际互借系统为研究对象,分析广州大学城自成立以来知识共享状况及自建馆际互借系统现状,探讨现代云服务共享域环境下的广州大学城馆际互借系统知识共享服务构建策略。     

Which Document Delivery Service Best Serves Your Patron: UnCover2® or ILL?

ABSTRACT

When deciding whether to use UnCover2 or ILL for document delivery, consider these factors: accessibility of the article, how quickly it is needed, and how much it costs the patron. Then within your ILL unit, determine the average delivery time for libraries that own the material. An informal study of UnCover2 shows that within Colorado, ILL can usually deliver quickly enough at no charge to the patron. If the owning libraries cannot deliver within the time frame needed and the patron will pay an average of $10 to $12, UnCover2 can do the job.     

Calculating Present Value of Use

ABSTRACT

Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service is one of the services provided by libraries that offers users a way to access library resources beyond their affiliated libraries. Additionally, it allows participating libraries to share and maximize their resources. This work examines the ILL process used by libraries in Singapore and proposes that the existing paper-based manual system be replaced by a Web-based ILL system. Such a Web-based system has been successfully designed and implemented at the Nanyang Technological University. The paper presents an overview of the system requirements and architecture, implementation details and demonstrates the feasibility and advantages of the new system.     

A First-Year ILL Librarian’s Experience with the Human Element

Interlibrary loan is a service that involves the borrowing and lending of items between libraries. What also underscores this service is the human communication exchanges had with patrons and ILL staff via emails, phone calls, notes, etc. to ensure that items are correctly processed in a timely manner. This article is written from the perspective of a first-year ILL librarian highlighting the position from the one thing that is known but may get overlooked in the grand scheme of daily transactions: the human element.     

Interlibrary Loan in the United States: An Analysis of Academic Libraries in a Digital Age

The primary focus of this study was to determine the effect of digitally held full-text articles on interlibrary loan (ILL) rates in American academic libraries. A second focus was an examination of how the size of print journals and monograph collections affect ILL activity. Finally, the study looks, in a preliminary fashion, for any effects on ILL rates due to the presence of an MLS-holding librarian as head of the interlibrary loan department. The study investigated American academic libraries and gathered ILL statistics for the period from 1997–2008. It was found that there was a general increase in ILL activity since the 1990s, with an increase in ILL non-fulfillment during the period. There was a strong correlation between print journal and monograph collection size versus ILL activity. There was positive correlation between the presence of databases and ILL activity. The presence of a link resolver was also correlated with increased ILL activity. Finally, the study found there was no overall reduction in ILL department personnel in the last 5 years and that the presence of a professional librarian as head of the department was also positively correlated with ILL activity.     

An open source library system and public library users: Finding and using library collections

Large scale open-source library automation systems can increase efficiencies in bibliographic production. The implementation of such a system, Evergreen, was examined in order to ascertain whether it facilitated detection and use of library collections in Indiana public libraries. Three hundred forty-nine participants recruited from nine public libraries completed user surveys. Additionally, library server data about interlibrary loan (ILL) statistics were collected from participating libraries on a monthly basis. The self-reported user survey included questions about patron history at local public libraries, use of the previous Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs), and use of the Evergreen OPAC for finding and accessing multiple library collections since library users could directly request interlibrary loans via the Evergreen OPAC. The findings indicate that the implementation of the Indiana Evergreen system received moderately positive ratings from the participants; the positive evaluation was primarily related to the use of the ILL function. The ILL service satisfied the participants' needs and motivated them to use the Evergreen OPAC. Benefits for Evergreen users were confirmed.     

A Structural Analysis of Interlibrary Networks:

This study is a structural analysis of a multi-type and multi-level library network within the framework of a regional interlibrary loan (ILL) system. The study monitored information network structure for resource sharing of academic and research library materials transmitted through the ILL. The local flow of academic and research information was measured by a survey of the filled ILL transactions by individual libraries in the Western 3Rs region. The major findings were as follows: (1) the regional ILL network showed less than half participation of the total subject libraries, (2) existing structure surveyed was identified as a composite centralized network with three communication groups, (3) depending on the types of materials transacted, the structure was changed, (4) statewide and multi-state library cooperatives had direct interactions with some of the local libraries, (5) individual libraries participated in the ILL network more for periodicals than book materials, and (6) academic libraries throughout the total six structures analyzed showed the highest percentage of participation.     

Using Interlibrary Loan Statistics to Promote Reciprocity

ABSTRACT

Several library directors in the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) hypothesized that charging for interlibrary loan transactions was a false economy. They suggested that if ASERL libraries implemented ILL reciprocity, savings would be realized. From September 1, 1992 through June 30, 1993, thirty-six ASERL libraries participated in a pilot project. OCLC/ILL transaction data for borrowing and lending activity among the libraries was reviewed for two periods, one prior to and the other during the pilot project period. This paper reports on data analysis and a follow-up survey of participants. The results supported the hypothesis that ASERL library directors would accept terms of ILL reciprocity that were based on standard protocols and analysis of quantitative data.     

Streamlining DOCLINE

Abstract

The QuickDOC© package is the first real effort at automating the DOCLINE Interlibrary Loan processes for libraries in the health sciences. In the few years since the product's introduction, it has grown into a useful, if not essential, tool for the health sciences interlibrary loan department. Versatile and simple, it provides the necessary functions for productive interlibrary loan and also makes available a considerable wealth of data to be manipulated with other software packages. Most importantly, it integrates the ILL functions in one package, and increases productivity of the understaffed interlibrary loan department.