[ILL-L] Summary: Polices/practice on Doc Delivery for online journals

Heather L Brown hlbrown at unmc.edu
Fri Jan 25 13:44:44 EST 2008


1.  If a patron sends you a request that they could have accessed online 
through the library's online subscription portal, do you ... 
cancel the request and let them know where to find it 
you fill it and apply any charges 
fill it and don't charge 

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Drexel University Health Sciences - cancel the request and let them know 
it is available through our electronic resources. We also tell them to 
contact us if they have trouble accessing it.
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We cancelled the request and let them know where to find it.
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cancel the request and let them know where to find it 
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IT DEPENDS UPON WHO GETS THE REQUEST.  IF THE REQUEST IS SENT TO OUR 
REFERENCE ACCOUNT, THE REFERENCE LIBRARIANS ARE SUPPOSED TO CULL OUT AND 
SEND ALL THE ARTICLE AVAILABLE ONLINE.   IF IT GOES RIGHT TO INTERLIBRARY 
LOAN, WE MAY OR MAY NOT CATCH IT.  WE DO NOT CHARGE THE PATRON EITHER WAY.
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We cancel it and tell them where to find it. Also refer them to the 
reference librarian if they need help in finding it.
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 For students we tend to use a canned cancellation message indicating how 
to retrieve the document themselves (online or print).  For faculty and 
staff we route to Document Delivery and fill the request.  In the case of 
large scale abuse by faculty we gently suggest that they use their 
departmental student assistants to do the job
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cancel the request and let them know where to find it Yes, usually, and we 
provide contact information for reference assistance if in case they need 
it.
you fill it and apply any charges—No we don’t ever charge for this, but we 
have discussed the possibility. 
fill it and don't charge---Occasionally, in certain cases we’ll just fill 
the request; if we know that the patron would have difficulty finding the 
item, or if it’s a rush request, for example.
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cancel the request and let them know where they can find it.
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WE HAVE TWO SERVICES: A DIGITAL ARTICLE DELIVERY SERVICE, WHERE WE SCAN 
AND EMAIL PATRONS COPIES OF ARTICLES FROM OUR PRINT AND MICROFORM 
COLLECTION (FOR FREE, TO ALL PRIMARY USERS). FOR THAT SERVICE, IF WE GET A 
REQUEST FOR SOMETHING WE HAVE IN OUR EJOURNAL COLLECTION, WE EITHER SEND 
THEM A LINK TO THE ARTICLE OR THE PDF VERSION FROM THE PUBLISHER’S WEB 
SITE. 10% OF OUR ARTICLE DELIVERY REQUESTS ARE FOR ITEMS WE HAVE ONLINE SO 
WE FIGURE PEOPLE ARE *NOT* FINDING THESE ITEMS AND WE NEED TO HELP THEM. 
IF THEY WERE HERE IN PERSON WE’D SHOW THEM HOW TO FIND IT BUT IN A REMOTE 
SITUATION, ITS EASIEST TO SEND THEM THE ARTICLE LINK. 
 
FOR OUR ILL SERVICE, BECAUSE WE USE VDX, WE FIND IT MORE CHALLENGING. WE’D 
LIKE TO CANCEL THE REQUEST AND IN THE EMAIL SEND THEM A LINK TO THE 
ARTICLE, BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE FIELD (CLASSMARK) WE CAN USE TO ADD 
INFORMATION IN THE AUTOMATED CANCELLATION NOTICE (AND EVEN THAT WE ONLY 
GOT TURNED ON IN OCTOBER) AND THERE IS A CHARACTER LIMIT WHICH IS NOT 
ALWAYS LARGE ENOUGH FOR GIANT URLS. FOR NOW, STAFF ARE ACTUALLLY PRINTING 
A COPY OF THE ONLINE ARTICLE AND SENDING THE PATRON A PICKUP NOTICE BUT 
I’M NOT TOO HAPPY WITH THAT (FORCES PATRON TO COME TO THE LIBRARY) AND AM 
LOOKING AT CHANGING IT. BUT WE’RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH JUST CANCELLING THE 
REQUEST AND SAYING “FIND IT YOURSELF” BECAUSE I FIGURE IF THEY KNEW HOW TO 
DO THAT THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE, SO SENDING THEM THE 
URL IS IMPORTANT. 
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2.  If a patron sends you a request and you find it free online (and the 
library does not normally have access to it), do you ... 
cancel the request and let them know where to find it 
you fill it and apply any charges 
fill it and don't charge 
-----------------------------------------------------
Drexel University Health Sciences - fill it and don't charge (we consider 
this still interlibrary loan)
 -----------------------------------------------------
We usually cancelled the request and let them know where to find it by 
providing the URL to the article.
If sites were difficult to navigate, we would just fill the request using 
the online pdf.
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When cancelling requests for things already online, we used a prefab 
cancellation reason in ILLiad that told the patron 1) how to authenticate 
from our libraries web site if the patron was off-campus, and 2) how to 
get to our libraries' E-journals portal and the 11,000 titles for which we 
have online access.  We operated under the philosophy that it was better 
to teach them to fish so they could eat for a lifetime rather than giving 
them a fish so they could eat for a day.  Although 29% of our users last 
quarter had at least one request cancelled because it was online, less 
than 5% had multiple requests (3 or more) cancelled for being online so we 
think our instructions help.  In addition, patrons in our article 
databases see a link to the online full text if it's available and are 
only offered an OpenURL link to an ILLiad request form if it's not.  Our 
ILLiad request form (see below) also has a prominent link in the middle of 
the screen directing people to check our E-journal list.
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 fill it and don't charge 
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FILL IT AND NOT CHARGE.  WE DON'T NORMALLY SEND A LINK IN A CASE LIKE THIS 
BECAUSE SUCH SITES HAVE A WAY OF DISAPPEARING.  WE DON'T NORMALLY CHARGE 
FOR ARTICLES OR LOANS SO WE WOULD CERTAINLY NOT CHARGE IN THIS CASE.
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Cancel the request and let them know exactly where and how to find it, 
again referring them to the reference librarian if needed.
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For students we cancel, using a canned message with the URL embedded.  For 
faculty we tend to do the same, unless navigating the URL is problematic, 
in which case we provide doc delivery for them
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cancel the request and let them know where to find it—Yes, usually 
you fill it and apply any charges 
fill it and don't charge—We might fill if the item is particularly 
difficult to find or if we know that the patron would have difficulty
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cancel the request and let them know where to find it (usually give them 
the exact URL)
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FOR BOTH SERVICES WE PROBABLY WOULDN’T ALWAYS FIND IT FREE ONLINE BECAUSE 
WE DON’T CURRENTLY CHECK ALL REQUESTS CONSISTENTLY ON THE FREE WEB. 
HOWEVER, WE DO TRY TO ADD AS MANY FREE JOURNALS AS WE CAN TO OUR 
CATALOGUE/EJOURNAL HOLDINGS SO IT MAY SURFACE AND IF IT DID, THEN FOR THE 
ARTICLE DELIVERY SERVICE WE’D SEND THEM THE URL TO THEIR ARTICLE, AND FOR 
ILL WE’D PRINT IT FOR THEM (AGAIN, LOOKING FOR A BETTER WAY). 
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3.  If you cancel and tell them to access it online, how does that go over 
with patrons who aren't up to speed on locating online journals or 
wouldn't mind if you did it for them despite charges?

-----------------------------------------------------
Drexel University Health Sciences - if a patron has trouble accessing it, 
they just need to tell us and we will do it for free. 
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That's why we supply it automatically. 
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MOST OF OUR REQUESTORS ARE STATE OF MICH OR LEGISLATIVE EMPLOYEES.   SOME 
OF THEM ARE DELIGHTED TO LEARN THAT THEY CAN ACCESS ARTICLES ONLINE, AND 
WE OFTEN PROVIDE TRAINING TO GROUPS OF SUCH PATRONS.  OTHER PATRONS WILL 
NOT FIND ARTICLES FOR THEMSELVES, SO WE CONTINUE TO DO THEIR REQUESTS AND 
WE DON'T CHARGE THEM IF THEY WORK FOR THE STATE.
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 If a student has problems and takes the trouble to contact us we will 
typically work with them, providing doc delivery in that instance in 
exchange for them at some point learning the skills at the reference desk. 
 We are contemplating providing a fee-based doc delivery service for those 
who simply do not want to bother making copies, etc., though I am not 
bursting with enthusiasm for taking on additional work with the very thin 
staffing we have.
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We’ve had no complaints so far.
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Never gotten a complaint yet.
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THEY DON'T SEEM TO MIND, MOST CAN FIND THINGS ONLINE PRETTY WELL. 
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Has never been an issue. The vast majority seems happy because it means 
they get the item right away. If patron contacts us and lets us know there 
is some sort of disability which makes it difficult to use the online 
version, we will fill the request. 
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MY FEELING IS THAT IF PATRONS KNEW HOW TO ACCESS THESE THINGS ON THEIR 
OWN, THEY WOULD NOT BE TAKING THE TIME TO SUBMIT AN ILL REQUEST, HENCE OUR 
APPROACH OF SENDING THEM A LINK TO THE ARTICLE (WHERE OUR SYSTEM PERMITS). 



General comments:

We charge patrons $1.00 if they request something for which we have access 
– either hard copy or online.
 
If something is not linked through our web site, I would not go out and 
look for it.  I’d probably, in my ignorance, request it via ILL.  I get 
requests like that from other libraries.  If I later discovered it was 
free online, I would pass that information on to our systems librarian, so 
that it could be added.
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We charge our patrons $5.00 to obtain an article on ILL. If we find it 
online or in our portal, we cancel the request, let them know where to 
find it and do not charge them. We mention that if they have difficulty 
locating the item, they can ask at any of our Reference desks for 
assistance. Some do come back to us and we walk them through the process. 
This frequently happens with databases like ProQuest Dissertations and 
Theses.  And some have problems with any links we send, so we have to 
explain how we found it. My staff wish we could charge them $5.00 when a 
patron is particularly dense about accessing something and requires a lot 
of handholding. 
For those that figure it out, it builds goodwill to let them know they can 
get something free that they thought they had to pay for.
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SYB sends the address to the patron and cancels the request  in both 
situations.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heather L. Brown, M.A.
Head of Access Services
-Interlibrary Loan and Photocopy Department
-Distance Education
-The Nebraska Medical Center Liaison

McGoogan Library of Medicine
University of Nebraska Medical Center
986705 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-6705

hlbrown at unmc.edu
402-559-7097
866-800-5209 (toll-free)
402-559-5498 (fax)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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