Interlibrary Loan Fill Rates: The Audiovisual Conundrum

Abstract

Fill rate is often presented as one of the most important benchmarks for evaluating interlibrary loan and document delivery services. But should this be the case? Anecdotal evidence suggests that some formats are easier to obtain than others. The study presents data from two Massachusetts regional interlibrary loan centers for three fiscal years demonstrating that audiovisual materials are inherently more difficult to borrow than print media and thus a major contributor to lowering overall fill rates. It also offers some reasons why this might be the case.

KEYWORDS:

• interlibrary loan
• fill rate
• audiovisual materials

Notes

1. Created by Perkins and Associates, TCPL also uses Clio (currently in version 6.0). ClioWeb/Advanced provides a Web page for ordering requests and allows users to query the status of those requests. ClioRequest is the interface between the Web order form and a format compatible with OCLC searching. One of the major advantages of this software is the elimination of rekeying the requested material. CLIO is the ILL management program based on Microsoft Access. Value-added features include overdue notices, billing, invoicing, archiving, and tracking of copyright and statistics. The software works well with the OCLC WorldCat Resource Sharing subsystem in saving screens of OCLC records and updating them in the various stages of the process. Both the WFL and TCPL have an automatic backup system in which records are saved every 24 hours. Because of the features of the software and the backup, we have been able to eliminate most paper files.

2. Sometimes it is more efficient to fax an ALA request or e-mail a point-to-point request to, for example, non-SEMLS Massachusetts public libraries that may not be included in WCRS.

3. TCPL uses several of the more conventional material type designations employed by catalogers (e.g., books, score) and some that provide information deemed more useful for statistical purposes (e.g., books on CD, books on cassette, DVD, microfilm/microfiche, music CD, kit, long playing album, VHS).

4. Requests filled also include a category of requests that have been “referred.” Examples include items that are actually available in the requester's library/network.

5. Requests are canceled for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to inability to verify title, no free lender available (and the requester does not want to pay a fee), no lender is willing to loan the item, the requested item has not been published.

6. When OCLC installed deflections based on material format in WCRS, they made it easier for libraries to stop making case-by-case decisions in situations where most of certain types of materials could not be loaned via ILL but some could.