National Resource Sharing Working Group

The Future of Information Delivery and the Interdependence of Libraries

Presentation to Serials 2005 – Future Directions, Australian Serials Special Interest Group Seminar, Canberra, 27 October 2000, by Susan Magnay, Chair, National Resource Sharing Working Group

Introduction

Presentation is based on the work of the National Resource Sharing Working Group (NRSWG) in identifying and exploring the key issues for resource sharing among Australian libraries.

Will focus on the area of primary concern for the NRSWG which sees resource sharing (interlending an document delivery) as an enduring and valuable service which must support Australian libraries to meet the needs of their users in a cost effective and efficient manner.

Will cover:

  • Current trends and issues for document delivery in Australian
  • Changes by 2005 – will interlending and document delivery still exist?
  • Best practice – what characterises high performing document delivery requesting and supplying operations?
  • Where does the NRSWG come in? The purpose of the group. What are we doing? Our 2 current major projects - ILL Benchmarking study and a new ILRS code.

Current issues & trends

The needs of users and changing user expectations

  • Fast, reliable services
  • Direct end-user access
  • Cost

Redevelopment of the technical infrastructure for resource sharing

  • Kinetica and KDD
  • ILRS directory
  • LIDDAS and other standards-based management systems

Automation of processes and linking of key systems through technical standards.

Changes in collecting policies of libraries including the trend to replace print subscriptions with e-journals and full-text databases. Issues for ILL/DD include availability and currency of holdings information on the NBD and licences which may restrict access and supply via ILL.

Impact of non-library and commercial document suppliers on both requesting and supplying operation in libraries.

Philosophic and policy commitment across library sectors to co-operation and resource sharing remains strong. Establishment of the NRSWG by the National Library with the support of the peak library organisations is evidence of this. However, this is under pressure mainly due to budget strains in libraries – eg. the debate at the recent Kinetica Annual Users Meeting concerning the timeliness of contributions to the NBD.

Copyright reform – Digital Agenda Act to come into force next March has maintained fair dealing and library provisions in the digital environment.

Changes by 2005

Will interlibrary lending and resource sharing among Australia’s libraries still exist in 2005? Yes, but it will be very different from today.

User centred, rather than process centred

  • More flexible and based on known user needs
  • Direct end-user requesting. The supplier and the relationship between the supplier and the library representing the user will be invisible. The requesting library’s role will be that of an agent for authenticating the user and managing billing, payments and costs
  • Delivery direct to the user will be ubiquitous. Technical limitations will be overcome. There will be more services and more variety

Processes will be automated. Standards-based, interoperable systems will really work. E-commerce and automated billing systems will be used. No ALIA paper vouchers?

There will be improvements in efficiency and cost effectiveness in both requesting and supplying operations (In other words, we are positive that the NRSWG will achieve its objectives).

More specialisation

  • Roles for commercial suppliers and libraries
  • Libraries as suppliers may develop specialised roles, eg. libraries with large retrospective collections and archival responsibilities such as the State/National libraries, may focus services on access and supply from these collections
  • Libraries will make business decisions on their roles and services, eg. on whether to take on a role of supplier of first resort

Different styles of collaboration and resource sharing among libraries, eg

  • Consortia agreements with providers
  • Agreements on access across library communities
  • Responsibility for archiving e-journals, digital resources

New copyright legislation comes into force March 2001

  • Maintains fair dealing and library provisions in the digital environment but the full implications are not yet clear, for example the relationship between copyright law and contract law. Will copyright legislation override licences or contracts that are narrower? This may take time to resolve and may require legislation, a test case or standardisation of licence agreements
  • Copyright Bulletin, Issue 17, Oct 2000 has a useful summary by Nick Smith, Copyright Adviser, Australian Libraries Copyright Committee (http://www.digital.org.au/alcc)

Conclusion

  • Next 5 years will be a period of intense experimentation in services, technology, access rights management and business models.

Best practice

A major study of interlending and document delivery in North American research libraries identified the characteristics of high performing document delivery operations. Summary can be found on the NRSWG web site (Mary Jackson’s presentation, The quiet revolution: improving ILL/DD operations).

The current Australian ILL/DD benchmarking study (more about this later) is based on this North American research.

Four performance measures were studied: direct cost, turnaround time, fill rates, user satisfaction.

High performing requesting and supplying operations had in common:

  • Maximise use of technology
  • Directors that support the activity

In addition:

High performing requesting operations

  • Used a single messaging system
  • Had a paperless office
  • Encouraged or required patron-initiated ordering and sent articles direct to patrons
  • Chose suppliers based on turnaround time and fill rate, not cost – and were willing to pay
  • Used staff with an interest in technology

High performing suppliers:

  • Viewed supplying as a business
  • Shipped via Ariel, fax or other expedited methods
  • Oversaw the whole operation (from mailroom to billing)
  • Looked for material in stack only once

Where does the NRSWG come in?

ILL/DD is an interdependent activity depending heavily on commonly accepted standards, codes and practices. This is the NRSWG focus.

The NRSWG was established in 1999 by the National Library, with the support of CASL, CAUL, ALIA and the Australian Library Collections Task Force. Its membership is made up of ILL/DD managers and practitioners from across library sectors and with a wide geographic spread. It was formed to address a perception of a crisis in resource sharing.

Terms of reference and more information about the Group in the handout and on the web site (http://www.nla.gov.au/initiatives/nrswg).

ILL/DD Benchmarking Study

More that 100 Australian libraries from across library sectors are participating; survey period is halfway through. Participating libraries are compiling detailed costing information and are completing turnaround time and user satisfaction surveys for a sample of ILL/DD requests.

Most far reaching study of ILL/DD to be undertaken in Australia.

Preliminary results should be know in first quarter of 2001 and a full report published mid-year.

Results should provide valuable benchmarking data for the resource sharing systems as a whole and for individual libraries to apply to improving their operations. Will be used for identifying best practices, for reviewing and re-engineering work processes and for training.

Interlibrary Resource Sharing Code

The NRSWG has revised the Australian Interlending Code. The new ILRS Code has been endorsed by the peak library organisations and is about to be released publicly for implementation by Australian libraries in the first half of 2001.

Features of the ILRS Code

  • New service level standards – 4 levels of service with defined turnaround times, plus a default or fall-back level
  • Defined turnaround time for the Core service of 5 working days (the current Standard service level does not have a defined turnaround time)
  • More choice, flexibility and predictable delivery times for users
  • Remains a voluntary Code
  • Code and Service Levels are not technology dependent, but are compatible with the ILL protocol & can therefore operate within KDD (& LIDDAS in future)

The NRSWG is currently planning the implementation of the Code, including workshops for ILL practitioners in early 2001 and a process for evaluation and finetuning to reflect practical experiences as it is implemented.

Accompanying the ILRS Code is a Guide to Best Practice for ILL/DD.

Susan Magnay
Chair, National Resource Sharing Working Group

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