global catalog was Re: Coffman and ILL

[CD McLean]

Hi,

I'll reply to Jennifer's and Dan's comments at once.

Jennifer's first:
"JENNIFER A. HEISE" wrote:

> <snip>
> Er. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like the OCLC ILL system?

Could be, however, I never use the OCLC system as I am not a member.  I use the
ALA ILL forms and do a search mainly on the catalogs of libraries in my area.
That way, if they have it and the engineer doesn't want to wait, s/he can pick
it up on their own or I can go and make a copy for them, depending on urgency.

The OCLC ILL system, if it works the way I outlined, may be yet another clear
instance of a great system that has no marketing and advertising to get
libraries to use it (at least in almost 10 years of being a special librarian I
have never heard of the system or seen any advertising for it, but maybe I am
not reading the right journals 8-).  If it performs that way (automated, pay
for express, reasonable snail mail costs) and it is open to any library whether
or not they are an OCLC member (and from OCLC member I am remembering from my
academic library intern days that you needed to be a member to use their
cataloguing info...been so long though I could be way off base), then PLEASE
tell me where to sign up! 8-)

Now for Dan's comments:
Dan Lester wrote:

> Many libraries will accept requests by Ariel or by fax or by email.  In
> fact, many prefer to receive them that way.
>

++++Aaah, it may be that just the few I am using will not accept email.  In
just the last six months they have started accepting faxes.  I can see the
wisdom of Coffman's request for a global system as some libraries are very
behind on implementation.  What I don't see is where the money for such a
global system will come from.

> <snip from Dan>Again, my wife's special library does those things.  If an
> engineer or
> corporate attorney needs information tomorrow, s/he'll get it
> tomorrow.  She'll obtain it from one of the many document delivery services
> such as Uncover, a phone call to one of a number of libraries that will
> accept phone requests on special occasions, or some other method.  If it is
> a current book she'll get it delivered overnight from the publisher or
> fatbrain.com.  There are many other techniques as well, but this isn't a
> special libraries list.
>

++++All true comments and those are the things I do because the ILL system
doesn't work for me to get hot items.  When I do use it, it is mainly to get a
thesis or an out-of-print book that I really don't want in my collection, but
need to peruse a few pages.  I guess my point got lost.  I wasn't speaking
about getting hot items as much as bemoaning that if the purpose of ILL is to
share materials so those of us with small budgets have access to the materials
of the large budget libraries (or those libraries that specialize in another
field), then the current system is not working for me.  It is more of a hassle
than a convenience to use the ILL system.  From reading Coffman, which I did
last night (unfortunately after I sent my two cents), it seems the solution may
be a global catalog.

However, I see a mountain of potential problems with getting that to become a
reality (different systems, different software, different versions of
software).  There may be an opportunity for some enterprising computer
scientist librarian to write a proposal to the Library of Congress (hmm...who
else might fund this enterprise?) asking for funding to explore setting up a
global system and using a small set of special, public and academic libraries
as a test case.  You could use the set up of the internet as an example.  The
book "Where wizards stay up late" is a fascinating story of the problems they
encountered and overcame in creating the global internet.

I would love to be part of that test case or involved in the proposal.

And please let me know about the OCLC ILL.  If that is open to all, I am very
interested in having more info (I'll be off now to scour their site) .

Thanks for your comments,
cd

--
  CD McLean
  Research Librarian/Library Services Manager
  Paradyne Corp.

  cmclean at paradyne.com
  8545 126th Ave. N.
  Largo, FL  33773
  727-530-8206 (phone)  727-532-5949 (fax)

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Thanks, cd mclean
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