scholarly journals Measuring the Effectiveness of Queen Elizabeth II Library Document Delivery Operations Before and After the Implementation of Relais International’s Enterprise Document Delivery Software

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Warner
Keyword(s):  
Average Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Efficiency Measure ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries ◽  
Document Delivery ◽  
Unit Costs ◽  
Before And After

Objective - To compare the performance of the Queen Elizabeth II Document Delivery operation before and after the implementation of Relais International’s Enterprise document delivery software. Methods - This paper employs methodology established in the Association of Research Libraries’ 1998 publication, “Measuring the Performance of Interlibrary Loan Operations” and repeated in ARL’s “Assessing ILL/DD Services: New Cost- Effective Alternatives,” published in 2004. In both studies, three measures were used to evaluate the efficiency of document delivery operations: fill rate, turnaround time and direct costs. Both studies offer ARL benchmark or mean scores for each efficiency measure. This paper compares Queen Elizabeth II Document Delivery (QEII/DD) scores for each efficiency measure with those reported in both ARL studies. Results - Data for the two periods under review, 1999-2000 and 2004-2005, indicate that Borrowing fill rates remained relatively stable, showing only a 3% drop in the latter year, while lending fill rates showed a significant increase (11%). Turnaround times for filled QEII/DD borrowing returnable requests were faster on average by 4.2 days or 24%. Turnaround times for QEII/DD non-returnable borrowing requests also show improvement: a filled non-returnable request was faster on average by 1 day or 12%. The average cost of a QEII/DD borrowing request has remained stable: $22.82 in 1999-2000 and $22.61 in 2004-2005. In contrast, the average cost of a QEII/DD lending request has increased slightly: from $11.08 in 1999-2000 to $13.12 in 2004-2005. Conclusion - Both the implementation of Relais document delivery software and the delivery of returnables (loans) by courier between consortium members have allowed the QEII/DD unit to post modest gains in both fill rates and per unit costs and more substantive gains in turnaround time.

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.

Benchmarking and pondering ASERL interlibrary loan operations, 2010 and 2013

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Atkins ◽  
Judy T. Greenwood ◽  
Pambanisha Whaley
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Document Delivery ◽  
Staffing Levels ◽  
Comparative Case Studies ◽  
Support Resource ◽  
Operational Metrics

Purpose – In 2010 and 2013, the libraries in the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) were surveyed to identify benchmarks and programs to support resource sharing. Benchmarks and challenges identified generate discussions regarding programming, networking, and other support to improve resource sharing operations. This paper seeks to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This study compares and contrasts the two surveys using mixed methods data analysis. This study assesses ILL performance and explores the challenges and trends interlibrary loan practitioners see today. Findings – The article identifies changes and trends in consortia-wide transaction volumes; staffing levels; campus document delivery; professional issues and challenges; and library organizational schemes. Research limitations/implications – The study did not include data from constituencies outside of interlibrary loan. It also did not include interview follow-ups with survey participants to discuss challenges and reorganizations in greater detail. Future interlibrary loan research could focus less on operational metrics and more on broader issues such as e-resources and change management. Mixed methods are effect tools for benchmarking and comparative case studies. Practical implications – Individual libraries can compare themselves to the operational benchmarks and use insights drawn from comment analysis to stimulate conversations regarding current and future roles for interlibrary loan. Consortia can duplicate the study to understand their operational benchmarks and their particular contexts. Originality/value – The study provides comparative benchmarks for research libraries and consortia spanning three years. It demonstrates substantial shifts in issues faced by libraries and librarians.

Evaluating CALIS interlibrary loan and document delivery: the MML plan

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 92-97
Author(s):  
Xiaoxia Yao ◽  
Lijun Zeng ◽  
Qiang Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Evaluation Instrument ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Document Delivery

Purpose – This paper aims to report on the methodology and findings of the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS) Model Member Libraries (MML) plan which evaluated the success of interlibrary loan and document delivery (ILL/DD) services among 71 CALIS member libraries. Design/methodology/approach – CALIS constructed an evaluation instrument consisting of a set of primary and secondary performance indicators, which were used to assess participating libraries in a number of areas such as the number of bibliographic holdings contributed to the union catalog, the number of qualified professional staff dedicated to ILL/DD, the amount of training provided for library staff and end-users, request volume, fill rate, turnaround time and user satisfaction. Findings – CALIS has implemented the evaluation with the purpose of better understanding ILL/DD service among its member libraries. The evaluation has achieved the expected targets and improved service performance as originally planned. The performance measures provide a basis for the MML to compare their ILL/DD service performance with another similar institution. Originality/value – According to the evaluation, the major objectives of MML on ILL/DD service are summarized.

scholarly journals Effective Access to the Periodical Literature: A National Program

1977 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-338
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Library Services ◽  
National Program ◽  
Periodical Literature ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries

The borrowing of materials by one library from another library, i. e., interlibrary loan, has been the traditional means of increasing patron access to items not available locally. The explosion of publications and other informational materials in recent years, as well as the continuing inflationary spiral in costs have played havoc on libraries in the United States. There is now almost universal recognition that more drastic changes to provide effective library services are needed. Although complete statistics of national interlibrary loan traffic for all libraries are not available, the number of interlibrary loans probably exceeds 10 million annually. Statistics published by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) show that its 99 member libraries made 2,158,000 interlibrary loans during the year 1974–75, whereas in the same period, these same large university, national, and special research libraries borrowed 477,000 items from other libraries. While interlibrary loan, as viewed by librarians, was intended to be approximately an evenly balanced reciprocal lending and borrowing operation among libraries – achieving a quid pro quo – these statistics indicate that balanced reciprocity is not often achieved.

Parallel Computing for Tire Simulations

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Surendranath ◽  
M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Parallel Solvers ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Highly Nonlinear

Abstract Over the last few decades, finite element analysis has become an integral part of the overall tire design process. Engineers need to perform a number of different simulations to evaluate new designs and study the effect of proposed design changes. However, tires pose formidable simulation challenges due to the presence of highly nonlinear rubber compounds, embedded reinforcements, complex tread geometries, rolling contact, and large deformations. Accurate simulation requires careful consideration of these factors, resulting in the extensive turnaround time, often times prolonging the design cycle. Therefore, it is extremely critical to explore means to reduce the turnaround time while producing reliable results. Compute clusters have recently become a cost effective means to perform high performance computing (HPC). Distributed memory parallel solvers designed to take advantage of compute clusters have become increasingly popular. In this paper, we examine the use of HPC for various tire simulations and demonstrate how it can significantly reduce simulation turnaround time. Abaqus/Standard is used for routine tire simulations like footprint and steady state rolling. Abaqus/Explicit is used for transient rolling and hydroplaning simulations. The run times and scaling data corresponding to models of various sizes and complexity are presented.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Submandibular Gland Preservation With Sialendoscopy for the Management of Sialolithiasis

2021 ◽  
pp. 019459982110268
Author(s):  
Joseph R. Acevedo ◽  
Ashley C. Hsu ◽  
Jeffrey C. Yu ◽  
Dale H. Rice ◽  
Daniel I. Kwon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Submandibular Gland ◽  
Average Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Cost Effectiveness Analysis ◽  
Effectiveness Analysis ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Probability Of Success ◽  
Markov Decision Model ◽  
The Cost

Objective To compare the cost-effectiveness of sialendoscopy with gland excision for the management of submandibular gland sialolithiasis. Study Design Cost-effectiveness analysis. Setting Outpatient surgery centers. Methods A Markov decision model compared the cost-effectiveness of sialendoscopy versus gland excision for managing submandibular gland sialolithiasis. Surgical outcome probabilities were found in the primary literature. The quality of life of patients was represented by health utilities, and costs were estimated from a third-party payer’s perspective. The effectiveness of each intervention was measured in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The incremental costs and effectiveness of each intervention were compared, and a willingness-to-pay ratio of $150,000 per QALY was considered cost-effective. One-way, multivariate, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to challenge model conclusions. Results Over 10 years, sialendoscopy yielded 9.00 QALYs at an average cost of $8306, while gland excision produced 8.94 QALYs at an average cost of $6103. The ICER for sialendoscopy was $36,717 per QALY gained, making sialendoscopy cost-effective by our best estimates. The model was sensitive to the probability of success and the cost of sialendoscopy. Sialendoscopy must meet a probability-of-success threshold of 0.61 (61%) and cost ≤$11,996 to remain cost-effective. A Monte Carlo simulation revealed sialendoscopy to be cost-effective 60% of the time. Conclusion Sialendoscopy appears to be a cost-effective management strategy for sialolithiasis of the submandibular gland when certain thresholds are maintained. Further studies elucidating the clinical factors that determine successful sialendoscopy may be aided by these thresholds as well as future comparisons of novel technology.

scholarly journals Current and Future Pathotyping Platforms for Plasmodiophora brassicae in Canada

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1446
Author(s):  
Heather H. Tso ◽  
Leonardo Galindo-González ◽  
Stephen E. Strelkov
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Plasmodiophora Brassicae ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Differential Set ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Phenotypic Methods ◽  
Important Disease

Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, is one of the most detrimental threats to crucifers worldwide and has emerged as an important disease of canola (Brassica napus) in Canada. At present, pathotypes are distinguished phenotypically by their virulence patterns on host differential sets, including the systems of Williams, Somé et al., the European Clubroot Differential set, and most recently the Canadian Clubroot Differential set and the Sinitic Clubroot Differential set. Although these are frequently used because of their simplicity of application, they are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and can lack sensitivity. Early, preventative pathotype detection is imperative to maximize productivity and promote sustainable crop production. The decreased turnaround time and increased sensitivity and specificity of genotypic pathotyping will be valuable for the development of integrated clubroot management plans, and interest in molecular techniques to complement phenotypic methods is increasing. This review provides a synopsis of current and future molecular pathotyping platforms for P. brassicae and aims to provide information on techniques that may be most suitable for the development of rapid, reliable, and cost-effective pathotyping assays.

scholarly journals The Inverse Spacer—A Novel, Safe, and Cost-Effective Approach in Routine Procedures for Revision Knee Arthroplasty

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 971
Author(s):  
Kristoff Hammerich ◽  
Jens Pollack ◽  
Alexander F. Hasse ◽  
André El Saman ◽  
René Huber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knee Arthroplasty ◽  
Clinical Success ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty ◽  
Rotational Stability ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Free Interval ◽  
Major Disadvantage ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Before And After

Background: A major disadvantage of current spacers for two-stage revision total knee arthroplasty (R-TKA) is the risk of (sub-) luxation during mobilization in the prosthesis-free interval, limiting their clinical success with detrimental consequences for the patient. The present study introduces a novel inverse spacer, which prevents major complications, such as spacer (sub-) luxations and/or fractures of spacer or bone. Methods: The hand-made inverse spacer consisted of convex tibial and concave femoral components of polymethylmethacrylate bone cement and was intra-operatively molded under maximum longitudinal tension in 5° flexion and 5° valgus position. Both components were equipped with a stem for rotational stability. This spacer was implanted during an R-TKA in 110 knees with diagnosed or suspected periprosthetic infection. Postoperative therapy included a straight leg brace and physiotherapist-guided, crutch-supported mobilization with full sole contact. X-rays were taken before and after prosthesis removal and re-implantation. Results: None of the patients experienced (sub-) luxations/fractures of the spacer, periprosthetic fractures, or soft tissue compromise requiring reoperation. All patients were successfully re-implanted after a prosthesis-free interval of 8 weeks, except for three patients requiring an early exchange of the spacer due to persisting infection. In these cases, the prosthetic-free interval was prolonged for one week. Conclusion: The inverse spacer in conjunction with our routine procedure is a safe and cost-effective alternative to other articulating or static spacers, and allows crutch-supported sole contact mobilization without major post-operative complications. Maximum longitudinal intra-operative tension in 5° flexion and 5° valgus position appears crucial for the success of surgery.

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