In the past eight months, the Brown Library has developed three new
services that will enhance our communityÍs access to materials held
by other research institutions. Direct Request introduces a new feature
to the WorldCat database. The Boston Library ConsortiumÍs (BLC) Virtual
Catalog/Direct Distance Borrowing initiative expands our options for
searching, requesting, and borrowing from the sixteen BLC libraries.
Finally, Desktop Delivery brings articles requested through Interlibrary
Loan (ILL) directly to oneÍs computer.
An underlying goal of the Interlibrary Loan Department is to streamline
the process of requesting and delivering material. One way to accomplish
this goal is to incorporate the request procedure into the online indexing
resource. To this end, we have activated a feature within WorldCat,
a huge database of library holdings, that makes it possible to initiate
ILL requests directly. Look for the ILL button/icon at the top of the
detailed record on any screen. The query will transmit whatever record
is being viewed straight into ILLÍs system. Because the process is transparent,
it saves the user the time it takes to fill out the traditional ILL
form-Üwhether online or on paperÜ-and saves the staff from having to
re-key all the bibliographic data into the requesting system. This feature
was activated August 1, and we intend to activate it in other FirstSearch
databases, including the periodical indexes, in the coming months.
In an important development in resource sharing, members of the Brown
community will have increased access to the holdings of the libraries
that make up the Boston Library Consortium. Brown University's membership
in the BLC has long provided users with local access and borrowing privileges
to the sixteen member libraries. However, the Consortium has undertaken
a project to expand this mission by providing even more direct access
to the wealth of its collective resources. In the past year, the group
has initiated a Virtual Catalog/Direct Distance Borrowing project. This
system will not only present a single interface for searching multiple
library catalogs simultaneously, but will also allow a user to initiate
requests for items held by those libraries. This Direct Distance Borrowing
feature exists outside the traditional ILL environment and differs from
it in significant ways. First, requests are transmitted directly to
the owning library, bypassing the Interlibrary Loan offices of both
institutions. Materials are shipped from the owning library to Brown
via the BLCÍs courier service and, once they arrive, are held either
at the Rockefeller or Sciences Circulation desk for pickup. Second,
these items are charged out using the patronÍs Brown ID card. The Virtual
Catalog/Direct Distance Borrowing program represents a significant step
in the resource sharing capabilities of the BLC. We are approaching
the first year as a start-up project, so not all of the BLC libraries
are represented in the catalog, and the borrowing function is still
being tested. Ultimately, it will be possible to search and order from
the holdings of all of the BLC libraries, as well as the Minuteman and
the Metro Boston Library networks in Massachusetts. In the first phase,
the Virtual Catalog will contain approximately 12 million titles. Once
complete, however, the total should reach close to 50 million. The Virtual
Catalog link on the Library website will appear when the system becomes
fully operational.
Finally, in an effort to deliver information directly to our users,
the Interlibrary Loan office now offers users the option of receiving
an electronic copy of a requested article. This "Desktop Delivery" became
available in March 2000. When the requested article arrives in the office,
it is converted into a PDF file format, attached to an email, and delivered.
A scanner is used to create an electronic document, if a paper copy
is received. Thus, Desktop Delivery is not only a convenience to our
patrons, but it also streamlines the behind-the-scenes operation. Both
the electronic and printed Interlibrary Loan forms include a place to
choose this method of delivery. The response to the new services already
implemented has been quite positive. Hopefully, initiation of distance
borrowing will continue that trend and continue our efforts to improve
both workflow and service.
--Bart Hollingsworth, Head of Interlibrary Loan
