[ILL-L] sending links and PDFs

[Ledja Cullen]

I agree.  Just the other day I had a student come to me, and then come to me again because he wanted me to do his research for him, basically.  I told him how important knowing how to research would be for him in his future career as a lawyer and there was no time like the present.  I showed him how to do some searches (also--showed him our website with all of the wonderful databases he has access to as a student--as well as told him what databases I thought would be best for finding the information he needed) and told him to go and try it on his own.  He said, "But you're so much more efficient than I am."  I told him practice makes perfect and he needed to start practicing.  Of course, I told him to come back if he really got stuck after trying some on his own first.   
 
On the other hand, if a patron submits an ILL request to me and I find it in our catalog or online (I always check these places before submitting a request), I don't see the problem with emailing them the URL and explaining how I searched for and found the article (as well as telling them--always check our catalog before submitting an ILL request!). 
 
(again--great discussion!) 
 
--Ledja
 
Ledja Cullen, MLIS
Reference & Evening Services Librarian
Interlibrary Loans & Course Reserves
Golden Gate University - Law Library
536 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: (415) 442-6689
Fax: (415) 512-9395
Email: lcullen at ggu.edu 
http://www.ggu.edu/lawlibrary 


>>> "Brannan, Joyce" <jbrannan at uwa.edu> 12/15/2009 11:09 AM >>>

I never send actual articles from our own databases or open web searches to our students, staff, or faculty.  I tell them where something can be found.   I discovered that if I do the research for the students (or faculty)  they become lazy and expect it to be done all the time for them.  If I explain how to find it themselves, and make them do it, they learn how to do it for themselves, and will usually thereafter try to find things before asking for stuff.  I feel that part of my job is to teach others how to research for themselves.  
 
 
Joyce Adams Brannan
Technical Services Librarian
Julia Tutwiler Library
University of West Alabama
Livingston, AL 35470
205.652.3677
jbrannan at uwa.edu
 
   Original message included:My Director has asked that I not send/provide links/PDF?s to articleswhich are available ?freely? on the web to our patrons or ask the authorof the article to send a PDF.  Reed
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