Web OPACs, document delivery, and printing

[spober at manvax.cc.manhattan.edu]

We're in the process of migrating to a new web-based OPAC, that 
will include online document delivery from some periodical 
databases.

Right now, we have a catalog that is accessed through dumb terminals,
most of which have printers attached.  Printing of citations is free,
but there are no full-text resources available through those dumb
terminals.  We do have  a document delivery system, but documents 
are ordered at separate terminals, paid for in advance by the patron, 
and delivered via fax to the circulation desk.

We're trying to decide how - or whether - to offer printing with the
new catalog.  The problem is that if we continue to put printers at
each public catalog computer, we expect our printing supplies 
costs to skyrocket once the free document-delivery system is in place.

We do have one pay-printer now, provided by our copier vendor.
It's available for students who wish to print out materials from
the WWW or other applications.  Because free printing is available
in the computer center, the pay printer gets very light use.  It 
would be a nuisance for users to be restricted to this one printer
for all OPAC and document delivery printing, since the printer is
not networked.  They would have to save the pages they wish to 
print on a floppy, then take it to this separate printer.  If they're 
printing out lengthy articles, this shouldn't be a problem, but 
if they just want a single page with an abstract or book record...

How are other libraries with web-based catalogs handling printing?
And how happy are you with the methods you are using?

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 Stacy Pober			   Internet: spober at manvax.cc.manhattan.edu
 Information Alchemist		   http://www.manhattan.edu/library/mclmenu.html
 Manhattan College Libraries	   Phone: 718-862-7980                    
 Riverdale, NY 10471	     	   Fax: 718-862-7995                    
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