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Requests Direct

Requests Direct . Forum for Interlending Workshop 2 July 2002. Introductions. Margaret van Mellaerts Document Supply Manager Essex County Council Katie Anstock Product Manager Fretwell-Downing Informatics. About Essex County Council. Largest public library service in the UK

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Requests Direct

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  1. Requests Direct Forum for Interlending Workshop 2 July 2002

  2. Introductions • Margaret van Mellaerts • Document Supply Manager • Essex County Council • Katie Anstock • Product Manager • Fretwell-Downing Informatics

  3. About Essex County Council • Largest public library service in the UK • Unitary authorities include Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea • Population - approx. 1 million • Number of ILL requests per month - 3000 • LMS - GEAC

  4. In the beginning... • 25 years of Interlending at Essex County Council • How has the service developed from 1975 - 2000? • What was the ILL service’s objectives? • From manual to semi-automated

  5. A new broom… • “Times they are a changing” • October 2000 • Management changes • ILL service - new post created • New managers = • Radical change

  6. A new broom… • New managers • Librarians • ILL experience? • Workshop exercise (1): • Take your “ILL hats off” and think about your ILL service and your public library ILL service from the users’ perspective…. • Utopian exercise!

  7. Initial impressions • Not service-oriented • ILL Department not public-facing • Slow and labour-intensive • paper dominated service • Time consuming process e.g.: • searching multiple bib databases • Semi-automated with multiple tools

  8. UK Public Library Model • Distinct from academic libraries • Supplier order: • Region i.e. Co-East • Outside region ie Conarls, non-Conarls • British Library • OCLC & IFLA libraries

  9. Year 1: Action packed • Day 1 • British Library changed their service model • price charge increase for books • Cost? • September 2001 • LASER • ceased trading

  10. In the background... • Co-East • developing library community • Essex fully committed • Cutting edge: • innovative services: • ILL, CI, cooperative purchasing of e-resources • ILL • distributed standards-based model • resource sharing model using ISO ILL

  11. A bright idea! February 2001 Defined strategy and business plan for Essex County Council ILL Service

  12. Visionary strategy • Front-line service • Utilise IT to the full • Automate and eradicate the paper chase

  13. ….. But how?! Requests Direct was born Hmmm - let’s come back to that one, but don’t get bogged down in the detail!

  14. Demise of Laser • … and the rise of Co-East • Essex had to radically rethink • Workshop exercise (2): • What would you do? • New service model? • “Go it alone”? • Loose LASER’s V3 - what then?

  15. What about Co-East? • Local government reorganisation • Start-up members: • Essex (includes Thurrock and Southend) • Suffolk • Cambridge (includes Peterborough) • Essex more eastern region than London and South-East • 10 members

  16. Co-East’s resource sharing model • Distributed not centralised • Standards based • Z39.50 for searching • ISO ILL for requesting

  17. The distributed model

  18. Co-East and Essex • Requesting system for Co-East items • … but can it be used for more? • Requirements analysis • May 2001

  19. A potted history • LIDDAS consortium in Australia • Australian academic libraries • State wide library systems in USA • up to 3000 libraries in Colorado and Ohio • Pharmaceutical companies • RIDING Virtual Union Catalogue • British Library’s ISO Gateway • Docusend project • Essex County Council (last but by no means least!)

  20. So here we are… • Z39.50 simultaneous searching • Essex and Cambridge catalogues • an in-print source • other library catalogues inc. OCLC • Further service development • UnityWeb searching via VDX • Web-based interface for public use • requesting and monitoring

  21. Innovative messaging • Live ART ISO messaging with British Library • Co-East requests via ISO ILL • Further service development: • OCLC interoperability testing scheduled • Improved communication with branches • currently automated using email • Email to non-ISO library suppliers

  22. Requests Direct - why? • A direct requesting service • telephone • email • web • branch library • i.e. whichever way the user prefers

  23. Requests Direct - the team • ILL team • direct contact with users • responsibility for public face of service • no longer second hand with branch as intermediary

  24. Requests Direct - communication • Call centre model • tell user directly when item available locally from Essex or Cambridge • whether it’s in print • available from Unity members • user told directly that request has been actioned • user defines pick up location

  25. Requests Direct - communication • Push technology: • user emailed with request status reports • Pull technology: • user can check request status on the web

  26. Requests Direct - Objective “The mystery of Interlending will be a thing of the past and the service will be truly direct“

  27. Lessons learned • Be prepared for frustrations but... • Don’t lose sight of the vision! • Don’t run before you can walk! • Go for incremental service development • radical service development doesn’t happen overnight! • staged go-lives • Invest in staff training and technology • but be patient!

  28. Vendor perspective • Interoperability in a competitive environment - • a contradiction in terms?! • Customer expectations? • Let’s be realistic! • Project management - • on-going problem-solving • Maintain positive attitude • Communication is key

  29. So, what now? • Workshop exercise (3): • Is RequestsDirect the ideal model? • Could this model be adopted in your library or sector? • Academic?, public?, NHS? Regional? • What would you do next?

  30. Requests Direct

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