[WEB4LIB] Coffman and ILL

[Dan Lester]

At 12:41 PM 8/25/99 -0700, Absher, Linda (absher) wrote:
>I routinely offer the service whenever a patron cannot find materials in 
>the library, but in 90% of the cases, the user just looks at me 
>blankly.  If they have heard of it, they
>tend to think that they have to pay a lot of money for the service or that
>they have to tell you which library they want to order the materials from.

I try to avoid any arcane terminology and just suggest that we may be able 
to get it for them from another library.  I do tell them about the one 
dollar flat fee our library charges for the service.

>1.) Most patrons view libraries as places in which the only
>services/materials offered are the ones within the physical setting itself.
>In short, if it ain't there, then you're out of luck;

College students don't seem to have that view.  They do complain when you 
can't get the book they want before the paper is due tomorrow, however.  I 
know that the same is true of the 500 electrical and software engineers 
that my wife serves in a corporate special library.

>3.)  The uncertainty/arcaneness of ILL:  after you offer the service, the
>first question generally is "when can I get it?"  I then find I lose the
>patron's interest when I try to explain how the system works, and how it's up
>to our workload, the other library's workload, etc.

Don't explain it.  Just give a reasonable estimate, and emphasize there is 
no guarantee of when it will come.  I do indicate that about 97 percent of 
our ILL requests are successful, but there is no guarantee there either.

>  Most companies offer their customers a ballpark estimate as to when 
> they'll receive an item--we as a profession don't.

Those who don't, should.  We're certainly able to do that.

>I do think that a lot of users view libraries as institutions that cannot
>handle unusual requests and services, which is how they view ordering
>materials outside their own library.

Then we need to keep educating them every chance we get, both directly and 
indirectly.

cheers

dan


--
Good, Fast, and Cheap: Which two of the three would you like?
Dan Lester, 3577 East Pecan, Boise, ID 83716 USA 208-383-0165
dan at 84.com   http://www.84.com/  http://www.postcard.org/