The Future of Access Services: Should There Be One?

Abstract

The creation of "Access Services" departments in academic libraries did not translate into the creation or offering of new services for patrons. Instead, it was typically just the combination of three already existing departments. Recent changes and trends in Access Services, including new NCIP and ISO standards, an increase in the use of electronic reserves, and the availability of items in various formats, now allow librarians to reconsider if this departmental arrangement is the best for today's library customers. This paper argues that the traditional configuration of Access Services needs to be dismantled if academic libraries are to provide excellent customer service to faculty and students.

Access Services Management Measures Revisited: From Triage to Marketing to Disarticulation

“…Schneiter (2002) imagines future changes in the composition of Access Services units with traditional physical service points but a remote component that is tied to distance learning. Hersey (2004) advocates dismantling the traditional Access Services arrangement and creating new Item Delivery and Course Support departments in order to provide excellent customer service to faculty and students.…”

Examining Change Within Interlibrary Loan

“…Similarly, interlibrary loan departments also might feel the need to rebrand and rename themselves so as to better describe what they do. For example, Denise P. Hersey (2004) notes that because technological innovations have helped ILL departments to offer better and faster service that more closely duplicates the work done by circulation, the two departments should "now consider integrating the…”

Welcome to the Neighborhood: The Merger of Interlibrary Loan with Access Services

“…The efficiency of the arrangement was reflected in the integration of circulation functions, such as tracking overdue items and billing, into the interlibrary loan workflow (Tribble, 1991). Hersey (2004) made the connection between structuring internal workflows to accommodate changing patron needs and demands. She stated that the most important impetus for changing traditional configurations of Access Services departments was the duplication of efforts between circulation and ILL functions-both require that materials be circulated and tracked.…”