[ILL-L] OCLC SEARCHING

[Barbour, Patricia A.]

I guess I'm missing something here.

I can understand deflecting e-books, but articles from e-journals.

Why is that?  I know most of the contracts we have for e-journals allow

interlibrary loan.

Are there other reasons why we can't loan e-journal articles?

 

Pat

 

Pat Barbour, Coordinator of Interlibrary Loan Services

Central Michigan University Libraries  - EZC

250 E. Preston Avenue

Mount Pleasant, MI  48859

Phone:  989-774-1212   Fax: 989-774-4499

From: ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of W Stephen Breedlove
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2008 4:59 PM
To: ill-l at webjunction.org
Subject: [ILL-L] OCLC SEARCHING

 

List members,

 

For whatever the following is worth:

 

After dealing daily with the issue of faulty OCLC searching about which
I went on at length a couple of weeks or so ago, I made the decision
today to deflect requests received through OCLC for articles from
ejournals and to deflect requests received through OCLC for ebooks.  I
assume that sharing a position on an issue with this list is mostly
preaching to the choir and that the people who should be made aware of
an issue or a problem more than likely do not subscribe to this list.

 

Today, I said NO to ten requests for articles from journals that the
requesting libraries had put on the OCLC records for the ejournal
versions instead of the print versions: we did not have the issues
needed in online format and we did not own the print versions of the
journals.  On three of these requests, we were the first library in the
lender string.  On five of these requests, we were the second library in
the lender string.  For one request, we were the third library in the
string.  For one request, we were the fifth lender in the string!
Frequently, I have said CONDITIONAL to these kinds of requests and have
told the requesting libraries that they might have better luck
requesting on OCLC records for the print versions of the journals.  I
cannot take the time anymore to do this.

 

Today, I also said CONDITIONAL to one request for an ebook, when I am
sure that the requesting library really wanted to borrow the print
version, which we did not own.  On this request, we were the second
library in the lender string.  I told this library that they might have
better luck in obtaining the book by requesting on the OCLC record for
the print version.  I have found myself doing conditionals for requests
for ebooks every day and cannot take the time to do this anymore.

 

These types of requests seem to be a result of sloppy searching in OCLC
and reflect a severe lack of training in searching OCLC efficiently and
effectively.  What kind of service and turnaround, if any, is being
provided by libraries that produce these kinds of requests?  Do they
ever obtain an article or a book?  It's a shame that this kind of
interlibrary loan/document delivery service is being provided these
days.

 

I decided to deflect requests such as these because our workload is
increasingly being inflated by these requests to which we would probably
say NO in most cases.  Why deal with them at all?  It's a bottomless
pit.

 

W. Stephen Breedlove, MLS, MA

Reference Librarian/Interlibrary Loan Coordinator

Connelly Library, La Salle University

breedlov at lasalle.edu

215-951-1862

 

 

 

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