National Library of Australia Staff Papers, 2010

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Libraries Australia Document Delivery: A System for a Variety of Users

Deborah Ann Hanington

Abstract


Libraries Australia Document Delivery (LADD) is a web-based system for interlibrary lending and document delivery between Australian libraries, managed by the National Library of Australia. The LADD system has a broad user base with library members representing government departments, academic libraries, private companies and public libraries.

 

Interlibrary loan (ILL) staff at these member libraries range from volunteers and part-time workers to full-time professional staff working in a dedicated document supply section. Membership drawn from such diverse library sectors and working with such a range of staff resources shows that the LADD system has developed into a service that is used with success by a variety of members.

 

The LADD system contains opt in options for users which can be used to manage both request and staff workflows, such as email alerts. The LADD system also has options which users are able to control themselves, opting in or out as they please, such as DocStore and reciprocal arrangements. Another feature of the LADD system is the LADD Payments Service which significantly reduces the administrative burden for libraries.

 

LADD users have access to items from the collections of over 730 member libraries. They also have the option to request to the commercial supplier Infotrieve Australia as well as to over 300 National Library of New Zealand Te Puna member libraries. The LADD system is also a gateway environment with 86 locations currently using the VDX, Relais or Aleph ISO ILL compliant systems to interoperate with LADD. The LADD system is the only gateway environment in Australia.

 

The LADD system has seen an increase in both requesting activity and in the member base. This steady increase over the years demonstrates that ILL is an essential activity in Australia and also that LADD is a unique utility offering benefits for all users.

 

As the member base has grown and diverse groups have emerged, the LADD system has adapted to provide a service which meets the needs of the broad user community.


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