Managing document supply: a SAGA come true in Sweden

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe how SAGA, a system for managing the library operations associated with document supply, was successfully developed using a very informal project model. Design/methodology/approach -The project model and system architecture are described. Findings -Initially, SAGA was tailored for the needs of the medical library at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Subsequently, it has been implemented at other Swedish academic libraries. The system has features for automating the workflows associated with document supply for both loans and copies externally and internally. It integrates document requests from a diversity of ordering systems under a single interface. The methodology adopted when implementing the system suggests that an incremental approach sometimes has benefits over a more formal pre-planned approach. Practical implications -The project model described may be applied to development projects at other libraries. The system architecture may be applied to other systems for managing document supply. Originality/value -The SAGA approach relies on managing requests placed in different systems via a single interface rather than trying to direct customers to a single ordering system.

Bringing the national interlending system into the local document supply process – a Swedish case study

“…Systems offering support for local ILL workflows are often referred to as ILL management systems (although they may also offer automation of other aspects of document supply, such as local requests for articles from journals held locally). Typical examples include well-known off-the-shelf products such as ILLiad, Relais and Clio -see (Jackson, 2000), (Knox, 2010), (Gavel and Hedlund, 2008) and (Breeding, 2013d) for reviews. Many ILS systems come with ILL modules offering varying degrees of support for the local ILL workflows.…”

“…A new version that might possibly remedy some of the shortcomings of previous versions is on its way (ISO, 2014). Many regional interlending systems offer integration via their own proprietary application programming interfaces (APIs) or technologies such as structured email messages (Jordan, 2009;Rodríguez-Gairín and Somoza-Fernández, 2014;Gavel and Hedlund, 2008;Gould, 2000). In Sweden, various local library automation systems integrate with the APIs of the national Libris interlending system (see below).…”

“…However, the support for local ILL management is rather limited. During the 1990s, the University Library of Karolinska Institutet (KIB) developed SAGA, a system offering automation of various aspects of document supply (Gavel and Hedlund, 2008). Other libraries could subscribe to the SAGA services.…”

Interlending and document supply: a review of the recent literature: 62

“…The second article deals with SAGA, which “integrates document requests from a diversity of ordering systems”. The development and future prospects for SAGA are discussed (Gavel, 2007). The clever takeover tactics of OCLC have borne fruit in the UK where the combination of the expertise of OCLC, PICA and Fretwell Downing won the contract for providing a new resource sharing service for the UK's public library sector.…”