Managing Employees in Interlibrary Loan, Circulation, and Reserves: Supervision in a Production Environment

Interlibrary loan departments are faced with the unique paradox of a workplace that is constantly changing and becoming more efficient due to the influence of technology on daily processes, yet still relies heavily on the daily labor and productivity of the staff. Additionally, interlibrary loan departments are faced with almost constant time pressures, both from internal and external customers. This challenge becomes magnified when personnel issues arise, and the time needed to problem solve seems non-existent. In particular, absenteeism and worker productivity can have disastrous results on interlibrary loan service quality, as well as a negative effect on departmental morale. This article will discuss strategies for dealing with these personnel problems in a production environment.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Selecting Electronic Document Delivery Options to Provide Quality Service

SUMMARY. Providing electronic document delivery (EDD) services to off-campus students can be a challenge. Methods of delivery that work well for one group of users might not work at all for another group. Knowing and using the different EDD service options to accomplish the goal of providing quality service to students results in a win-win situation. Student expectations of timely delivery of material are met and the department develops a reputation of dependable quality service. Library users have raised expectations from the 24/7 services available through the World Wide Web. Providing EDD of information to the researcher’s desktop helps the library meet these needs and expectations. However, the options for desktop delivery can also be overwhelming, so knowing how and why different software and delivery methods work enables the practitioner to control the outcome of the transaction. This control over the service also ensures that quality service expectations are met by the library since the practitioner has the ability to use a variety of deliver

International Payment: Methods to Consider

As libraries gain access to more online databases, library patrons gain more access to obscure citations. Consequently, Interlibrary Loan Departments, once deciding to participate in International Loans must then decide on how they will pay and bill their international partners. This article describes six options available for international payment and billing. The methods described include how to use reciprocal agreements, standard invoicing, pre-paid requests, deposit accounts, OCLC ILL Fee Management, International Reply Coupons, and the IFLA Voucher Scheme to obtain and pay for ILL transactions.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe