Add to cart? E‐commerce, self‐service and the growth of interlibrary loan

Abstract

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the application of e‐commerce practices in libraries and the effect of those practices on interlibrary loan traffic among research libraries in the USA.Design/methodology/approachThis paper identifies key e‐commerce features and where parallel features exist in the discovery and request processes. In an age of unprecedented information access, instant communication, and large‐scale commercial information sources, the growth of interlibrary loan among US research libraries cannot be attributed solely to cost. A major factor in the continued growth of interlibrary loan must be, in part, attributed to the adoption by libraries of standard e‐commerce practices.FindingsThe author's research indicates that adoption of standard e‐commerce practices by libraries has resulted in a dramatic increase of interlibrary loan traffic among research libraries in the USA.Originality/valueThe research conducted for this paper is original and the findings add a unique perspective to the value of e‐commerce practices in libraries by focusing on the impact those services have had on interlibrary loan operations.

Predicting demand for inter-library loan requests

“…In one of the studies, 47 percent of ILL requests were made between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. (Mak, 2012); and in another study of ARL libraries, peak hours of requests were after midnight (Mak, 2011, p. 28), well after the library had closed. According to a 2002 ARL cost study, the average cost of borrowing was $17.50 per unit and the average cost of lending was $9.27 (Jackson, 2004).…”

“…Such acquisitions guarantee at least one circulation, and research studies show they circulate even more than the one's purchased through "just-in-case" or the traditional method. Most of these purchases fall in the social sciences and humanities areas (Schroeder, 2012;Mak, 2011Mak, , 2012Booth and O'Brien, 2011;Wilson-Higgins, 2011;Alder, 2007;Perdue and Van Fleet, 1999;Walsh and Walsh, 2009;Foss, 2007;Reighart and Oberlander, 2008;Allen et al, 2003).…”

“…and present the user with full text where it is available. If full text is not available, it should provide a choice of requesting it on ILL (Mak, 2012). Goldner and Birch (2012) cover in detail the history of ILL, the shift of library collections from print to electronic form, challenges, collaborations, copyright, licensing, political, economic, social and technological analysis.…”

Survey Says…?: Assessing Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Use and Awareness for Responsive Service Delivery

“…Lucas called to "market ILL [to users] so that they understand this service provides them with seemingly endless access to resources around the world" (Lucas, 2011). In a information rich world influenced by easy access to materials thanks to search tools like Google, the proliferation of e-commerce sites like Amazon, and an increase in preference for self-service and peer-topeer lending practices, these studies and others like them challenge libraries to rethink ILL in order to stay relevant, survive, and thrive (Jong & Nance, 2014;Kenefick & Devito, 2013;Mak, 2012;McGrath, 2012;Muhonen & Saarti, 2016).…”

Three Years of Unmediated Document Delivery: An Analysis and Consideration of Collection Development Priorities

“…At the University of Notre Dame, Mak found that 47% of database searches and 34% of interlibrary loan requests took place between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., the period during which Interlibrary Loan offices were closed. 4 Thus, another important element when considering mediated document delivery is the time delay between the initiated request and when ILL staff will process the request.…”