In the past eight months, the Brown Library has developed three new
services that will enhance our communityâs access to materials held
by other research institutions. Direct Request introduces a new feature
to the WorldCat database. The Boston Library Consortiumâs (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 oneâs 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 ILLâs system. Because
the process is transparent, it saves the user the time it takes to
fill out the traditional ILL form-Ðwhether online or on paperÐ-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 BLCâs 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 patronâs
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
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library
