[ILL-L] RE: OCLC SEARCHING

[Document Delivery]

In NY the custom is the add the microfilm and microfiche holdings to the
print records, as separate LHRs (and add to the summary holdings), so
that's where we would put our electronic holdings, though we haven't
added them yet,

 

Edward Helmrich 
ILL Office 
Ryan Library 
Iona College VXI 
914-633-2352 
docdelivery at iona.edu 

From: ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Schwartz, Andrea
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:09 PM
To: Interlibrary Loan Listserv
Subject: [ILL-L] RE: OCLC SEARCHING

 

Stephen (and other List members)-

 

As a nearby library that might be bothering you with these requests, I
thought I'd reply as to why we sometimes use the online resource record
in OCLC even though, as you say, it's a crap shoot.

 

We always check the print record for a journal first.  But if there's no
free source for the item or all free sources in my Custom Holdings lack
the year/volume I need, I often turn to the record for the electronic
resource.  We're an LVIS library, so our net is pretty wide but there's
some scarce/expensive stuff out there that we can't get for free through
our various consortia.  I can't pay $$ for articles for undergrads, so
if I don't try the electronic resource, I have to cancel the patron's
request (or ask them if they're willing to pay for it, but they never
are).  Like others have said, this works just often enough that I keep
doing it.  I try not to let the request drag on forever-for one thing,
the patron probably doesn't need it after a week/10 days.  Our Borrowing
volume is low enough that I can keep a close eye on these and cancel
them after a few tries.

 

I posted some time ago about the dilemma we're facing here at Bloomsburg
with our OCLC LHRs.  Past practice had been to close our print LHR when
we stopped getting the journal in print, and rely solely on our symbol
attached (w/o any local holdings of course) to the electronic resource.
I'm guessing this was done without much thought to how this would impact
ILL.  It's misleading to other libraries, since we often have electronic
access to the journal after we stopped getting it in print and may be
able to fill an ILL request.  It seems to me there may be other
libraries out there like us, so if you *never* look at/use the
electronic record, you may be missing a library that can supply you with
a journal article.  I'd be interested to know what LAS (or anyone else)
is doing with their LHRs when you stop receiving a journal in print, and
go w/ online access only.

 

Andrea Schwartz

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (PBB)

aschwart at bloomu.edu

570-389-4218

 

From: ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Breedlove, W Stephen
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 9:02 PM
To: Interlibrary Loan Listserv
Subject: [ILL-L] RE: OCLC SEARCHING

 

List members,

 

The responses to my posting on Nov 4 on OCLC SEARCHING were interesting.
Some folks understood the point I was trying to make; some didn't.  I
will say a few more things and then shut up about it.

 

My point had nothing to do with licensing agreements, or meanly blocking
other libraries from obtaining articles from us.  My point was about
performing effective searching in OCLC so that you obtain what you need
as quickly as possible.  Unless I've missed something in my almost 22
years and counting of working and supervising in interlibrary loan and
document delivery, the purpose of all this is to obtain materials for
our patrons as quickly as possible.  Currently, here at La Salle we are
obtaining many articles on the same day that we request them--thanks to
those wonderful libraries with whom we participate in Rapid ILL--and
Rapid does the looking up for you!  Even through OCLC, we receive items
much faster than in the past.

 

When I say "online journal" I mean online versions of journals that are
also published in print.  I don't mean journals that are only published
online.  That's another ballgame.  If you request an article on the OCLC
record for the print version of a journal, find out what libraries hold
the vol/year that your article is in by clicking on your Custom
Holdings--you know what Custom Holdings is, don't you?--set up your
lender string, and then produce your request, you have a much, much
better chance of getting your article than using the OCLC record for the
online version of the journal.  We were receiving tons of requests
coming to us every day on records for online versions of journals when,
in many cases, the online journal wasn't available to us for the
vol/issue that was needed.  If a library holds an online version of a
journal, and you have submitted a request for an article on the record
for the print version, more than likely that library will fill from the
online version, instead of scanning from the print issue.

 

Interlibrary loan shouldn't be a crap shoot.

 

W. Stephen Breedlove

Reference Librarian/Interlibrary Loan Coordinator

Connelly Library, La Salle University

 

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