Promoting Interlibrary Loan in the Traditional Catalog and Discovery Layer: Two Pilot Projects

Abstract

This paper describes two projects that promote interlibrary loan (ILL) in both traditional online public access catalogs and discovery settings to address user frustrations with gaps in the collection. By creating and inserting OpenURL links into bibliographic records for titles held exclusively by external institutions, the authors leveraged the discovery capabilities of their shared catalog and promoted ILL as an alternative means of access. The second project targeted the overwhelming amount of content indexed in the library’s discovery layer that was not locally available. To more directly translate discovery into access, the authors worked with EBSCO to create and enable ILL CustomLinks for this content indexed by EBSCO Discovery Service and not available to their users. This paper presents ILL data to investigate whether these projects are changing the ways our users find and access content not held locally.

Expediting the delivery of content to library users: When to buy versus when to borrow

“…Current library trends, at least from 2005 to present, emphasize DDA and "Big Deal" subscription journal packages (Appleton et al, 2016). And, ultimately, libraries are working to transform a perceived dead end in a catalog into an access opportunity (Scott & Barton, 2018). Interlibrary loan has long filled this void and the items requested via ILL represent unmet user needs (Walker & Arthur, 2018).…”

“…Perhaps a worthwhile collection development strategy involves examining user behavior as it pertains to ILL (Barton, Relyea, & Knowlton, 2018). Before the advent of publicly searchable catalogs, ILL was a discrete and opaque service to library users (Scott & Barton, 2018). Over the years, ILL has become more transparent and Texas Tech University Libraries have even created a "Book Raider App" as a mobile solution to link their users directly to ILL services from their personal devices (Cassidy et al, 2015).…”

“…Over the years, ILL has become more transparent and Texas Tech University Libraries have even created a "Book Raider App" as a mobile solution to link their users directly to ILL services from their personal devices (Cassidy et al, 2015). Perhaps it would be advantageous to promote ILL usage by making the service both more visible and more convenient as Texas Tech has done in order to better assist the user (Scott & Barton, 2018). While an app may not be necessary at every academic library, perhaps training sessions, printed and online information guides, and the like might better demystify the ILL process for the user (Cassidy et al, 2015).…”

The Development of Resource Sharing, Scholarly Communication, and the Role of Publishers in the Context of Academic Libraries

“…Selected studies (Egan 2005;Williams and Bailey 2007;Rheiner 2008;Kenefick and Devito 2013;Musser and Coopey 2016;and Scott and Barton 2018) on the effects of electronic finding aids and electronic journals on ILL have demonstrated a mixed effect on quantity of ILL requests. Over the years, researchers using Google located more research as references began to appear on the web.…”

“…ILL staff enhanced and expanded services with the time saved, offering delivery of physical materials to faculty and staff offices and interacting "with users in new ways by assisting at both physical and virtual service desks (651). Scott and Barton (2018) described two projects at the University of Memphis in which ILL was promoted both through the traditional online public access catalogs and in discovery layer settings. Open URL links were inserted into bibliographic records for titles in the OPAC not held locally, and the authors worked with EBSCO to create ILL CustomLinks for unavailable materials.…”