The relationship between ILL/document supply and journal subscriptions

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to provide insights into the relationship between ILL/ document supply and journal subscriptions and to assess recent trends in the ILL service. Design/methodology/Approach: This survey is based on data from the ILL service conducted over the five year period 2005-2009 through the Italian NILDE (Network for Inter-Library Document Exchange) network. Findings: This article bears out important previous findings that ILL is not used as a surrogate for journal subscriptions. This is supported by the analysis of a broad number of titles and over a wide time-range. On the contrary, analysis of data transactions, particularly of the most requested journals, can bring about positive effects on new title acquisitions and negotiations with publishers. This paper also shows, at least for Italy, an overall growth and vitality of ILL, in spite of the widespread availability of e-journals acquired through consortia purchasing. Originality/Value: An insight into the relationship between ILL and journal subscriptions in Italy, a country where few studies have been carried out, and none at all for such a large number of libraries and transactions.

Rethinking the Subscription Paradigm for Journals: Using Interlibrary Loan in Collection Development for Serials

“…3 Elena Bernardini notes that it behooves publishers to allow ILL of their titles because "analysis of transaction data often has a positive effect on new titles acquisitions." 4 In broad strokes, Herbert White notes that "anything 'borrowed' often enough to endanger fair use criteria should be bought immediately." 5 Peggy Johnson writes in her standard guide to collection development that "repeated requests from users for articles from a particular journal suggest that journal should be added to the collection."…”

Interlibrary Loan Rates for Academic Libraries in the United States of America Have Increased Despite the Availability of Electronic Databases, but Fulfilment Rates Have Decreased

“…Further studies could also look at the staffing question touched upon by the authors, such as a smaller scale comparison of the success rates of professionally qualified staff and paraprofessionals in the fulfilment of ILL requests. A study similar to that carried out by Bernardini & Mangiaracina (2011), who investigated the types of items that are being requested by ILL after the introduction of subscription bundles in Italy, would also be an interesting addition to the literature. ILL is a rapidly changing area of librarianship, particularly with continuing technological advances such as e-books, so it is an area which requires continual research.…”

Interlending and document supply: a review of the recent literature: 73

“…They are highly critical of publishers imposing contractual constraints and argue that publishers should support document supply as it gives access to their titles that would not otherwise be known. They also judge that many factors contribute to the increase in document supply in Italy via NILDE (86,320 in 2005 to 137,065 in 2009) – greater exposure to material, more researchers, and efficient document supply via NILDE has a greater impact than the decline associated with Big Deals (Bernadini and Mangiaracina, 2010). Another study in Japan analyses an even bigger database – 10 million requests over 15 years.…”