scholarly journals Interlibrary Loan Patron Use Patterns: An Examination of Borrowing Requests at a Midsized Academic Library

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 303-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley P. Tolppanen ◽  
Janice Derr
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Use Patterns

scholarly journals Use of ESBCO Discovery Tool at One University Reveals Increased Use of Electronic Collections but Decreased Use in Circulation of Print Collections

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 244
Author(s):  
Aoife Lawton
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Discovery Service ◽  
Usage Data ◽  
Library Collections

A Review of: Calvert, K. (2015). Maximizing academic library collections: Measuring changes in use patterns owing to EBSCO Discovery Service. College & Research Libraries, 76(1), 81-99. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/crl.76.1.81 Objective – To find out what the effects of a discovery tool are in relation to usage of print and electronic library collections, and with the aim to measure the effects in three specific areas: circulation numbers, use of electronic resources, and interlibrary loan requests. Design – Comparative quantitative analysis of usage statistics and data sets. Setting – A regional comprehensive university in the United States of America. Subjects – Usage data from a university library. Methods – The methods used were informed by three hypotheses stated at the beginning of the study. First, an analysis of usage data of e-resources tested the hypothesis that the introduction of a discovery tool would increase use of e-resources. Second, to test whether the use of print collections increased, circulation statistics including items borrowed via consortia and in-house use statistics were measured. Finally, interlibrary loan statistics from 2010 to 2013 were collated to test if the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) led to a decrease in interlibrary loan requests. Main Results – The introduction of the EBSCO discovery tool resulted in increased use of EBSCOhost and other databases at the library in question. However, the library's circulation statistics decreased, with a drop of 28% of checkouts compared to the previous year. The drop is more pronounced with undergraduates, who checked out 39% fewer items after the EDS was introduced. There was a 30% decrease in requests for borrowing items from a consortia. There was insufficient data to support or refute the third hypothesis. Conclusion – The implementation of a discovery tool at one library has had both postive and negative outcomes. An increase in the use of electronic collections was observed as a positive outcome, whereas a decrease in the use of print collections was a negative outcome. Due to the findings of the study, the library revised its policy on content inclusion to the EDS. Any new content is now screened for suitability before it is included. As a changing student demographic evolves at the library, with an increase in distance and online learners, the library will grow its collection in line with their needs. The author notes that a further study is needed to examine ebook usage, and recommends that the library consider a move towards ebooks for all

scholarly journals Maximizing Academic Library Collections: Measuring Changes in Use Patterns Owing to EBSCO Discovery Service

2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Calvert
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Sharp Decline ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Strong Growth ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Discovery Service ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Library Collections

Despite the prevalence of academic libraries adopting web-scale discovery tools, few studies have quantified their effect on the use of library collections. This study measures the impact that EBSCO Discovery Service has had on use of library resources through circulation statistics, use of electronic resources, and interlibrary loan requests. Additionally, the data were compared against data from similar academic libraries without discovery systems. Findings include a strong growth in e-journal use but a sharp decline in circulation statistics. Implications of discovery on use of the print collection are discussed along with suggestions for improving integration of book and article data.

scholarly journals Book Availability Revisited: Turnaround Time for Recalls versus Interlibrary Loans

2003 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Gregory ◽  
Wayne A. Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Reasonable Alternative ◽  
Local Institution ◽  
Timely Access ◽  
Average Turnaround Time

Librarians typically view interlibrary loan (ILL) as a means of providing access to items not owned by the local institution. However, they are less likely to explore ILL’s potential in providing timely access to items locally owned, but temporarily unavailable, particularly in the case of monographs in circulation. In a two-part study, the authors test the assumption that, on average, locally owned books that a patron finds unavailable (due to checkout) can be obtained more quickly via recall than via ILL. Phase 1 of this study establishes an average turnaround time for circulation recalls in a large academic library for comparison with well-established turnaround times for ILL borrowing transactions. In Phase 2, a more rigorous paired study of recalls and ILL compares the ability of each system to handle identical requests in real time. Results demonstrate that, under some circumstances, ILL provides a reasonable alternative to the internal recall process. The findings also underscore the need for more holistic, interservice models for improving not just access, but also the timeliness of access, to monograph collections.

scholarly journals Follow-Up Study on Free Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan Service Demonstrates Customer Satisfaction and Generates Improvements

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Kathleen Reed
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Document Delivery ◽  
Online Catalogue ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Scanned Documents

Objective – Texas A&M University Libraries have delivered free documents and interlibrary loans for ten years via the Get it for me service. This study explores whether the needs of customers are being met, areas for improvement, acceptable turnaround times, why some resources are never picked up, preferred format and steps to obtaining resources, places searched before submitting a request, and whether users ever purchased resources after obtaining them through Get it for me. Design – Online questionnaire. Setting – Large academic library system located in Texas, United States. Subjects – Researchers used responses from 735 registered users of the Get it for me service (12% undergraduates, 49% graduate students, 21% faculty, 15% staff, 1% distance education, 2% other). Methods – The authors emailed all currently registered users of the Get it for me service (n=23,063) inviting them to participate in a survey. The survey ran for two weeks, with no follow-up emails sent. Main Results – The return rate of 3.18% (n=735/23,063) surpassed the participant goal to achieve a confidence level of 95%, with a confidence interval of 4%. Researchers found that 79% of respondents are satisfied with turnaround time, with 54% of respondents desiring items within three days. Expectations increased with position in the academy. Time is the significant factor in users not retrieving ordered items; items are no longer needed after deadlines pass or other related materials are found. Responses revealed that 55% of users prefer print to e-books, although 70% of participants would accept an e-book version if print is not available. Participants were evenly split between reading documents online and printing them to read offline. About one quarter of respondents bought or suggested that the library purchase an item requested via Get it for me. When participants encountered a problem, 55% of respondents would contact library staff and 45% would check the service FAQ. Of those that contacted staff, there is a 94% satisfaction rate. Overall, 95% of respondents checked the libraries’ online catalogue for availability, 83% looked in e-journal collections, and 74% checked Google or Google Scholar. Get it for me was complimented on its user-friendly interfaces and policies, and the money and time it saves its users. In terms of criticism, users requested better quality scanned documents, longer interlibrary loan times, and a PDF instead of a link when an article is found by staff. Conclusion – The author concludes that the document delivery and interlibrary loan services delivered by Get it for me are meeting the expectations of users, with 99% of respondents reporting that the Get it for me service meets or somewhat meets their needs. Areas that required improvement were identified and strategies put in place to improve service. This questionnaire can be applied to other libraries to assist them in learning about document delivery and interlibrary loan service users and their expectations.

To buy or not to buy? A case study of Western books at Peking University Library

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 64-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaodong Li ◽  
Nanyan Liang ◽  
Suqing Liu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Professional Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Library ◽  
Delivery Times ◽  
Peking University ◽  
Decision Making Model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision-making model for buy vs borrow selection decisions. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conduct a statistical analysis of circulation transactions and Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request data related to Western books as well as the overall subject content of local collections. They compare the relative costs and delivery times for obtaining materials through interlibrary loan channels vs purchase from domestic or foreign publishers. Based on this analysis, they make recommendations for buy vs borrow decision-making model relevant to the Western books collection at the Peking University Library. Findings – For materials available domestically, requesting through ILL is the preferred acquisitions strategy because of the low cost of domestic service and the comparable speed of delivery. Materials that can only be obtained from foreign libraries are best acquired through a combination of purchase-on-demand and ILL. Originality/value – This paper adds to the corpus of professional literature on buy vs borrow collection development models but adds a unique perspective by applying this model to a Western book collection in a Chinese academic library.

Streamlined request services: the integration of ILS, ILL and Consortia borrowing systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 144-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gan (Grace) Ye ◽  
Sally Bryant
Keyword(s):  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Systems Integration ◽  
Discrete Systems ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Budget Cuts ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Authentication System ◽  
Loan System

Purpose – This paper aims to study streamlined request services based on discrete systems’ integration in an academic library. The integration of discrete systems allows patrons to use the library’s online public access catalog to send requests and have the requests automatically transferred to the local integrated library system (ILS), the consortia borrowing system, and an interlibrary loan system. The integration of discrete systems also allows adding the consortia service without adding any library staff. Design/methodology/approach – The authors introduce library holdings behind the search interface, the discrete library systems and the authentication system. The paper illustrates how patron requests can be automatically transferred to discrete library systems. Findings – Resource sharing has become a hot topic in the library world where libraries are facing budget cuts, space limits and employee shortage challenges. Systems’ integration will help libraries to add new services without adding staff. Practical implications – The consortia borrowing system can be seamlessly integrated into discrete library systems and a campus authentication system. Pepperdine University’s experience can serve as an example for libraries which have a plan to implement consortia borrowing systems or want to streamline their workflows. Originality/value – This paper takes a fresh look at the traditional request services using cloud-based systems.

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