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The tremendous increase in the availability of full text electronic resources has been particularly beneficial to distance education students who do not have easy access to print collections. However, Western Michigan University (WMU) has been experiencing a decrease in requests for traditional document delivery of print based materials. This article presents a case study of WMU document delivery services for the distance education community. A survey was also conducted of libraries serving distance education programs to determine whether other institutions are also experiencing a decrease in usage of document delivery. Survey results show a more universal trend toward decreasing requests for delivery of print based articles; book requests are also decreasing but not at the same rate. The article concludes with some possible reasons for the decrease in usage of document delivery for distance education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness that a social function, an international student reception, has on making international students comfortable with library services and resources in an American academic library at Kent State University.Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was used to collect responses from attendees of an international student reception. The questionnaire was distributed both in-person and by e-mail. Ninety-three valid responses were received. The descriptive survey method was used in the study.Findings The findings reveal that the reception is attracting its target market, international students who have been enrolled at the university for less than one year. Food selection is critical to the success of the reception. However, there is room for improvement in many areas, such as the timing of the event, physical location and interactions between library staff and the international students.Research limitations/implications The survey was limited to only the international students who could attend the reception.Practical implications The study shows that partnership between the library and another department on campus (Office of Global Education) was a major key in the success of these receptions. Also, findings support that the comfort level of the students is a critical factor for the introduction of library services to international students. Future research is needed to measure the long-term impact of social event on library use.Originality/value This is the first case study in the literature where an academic library evaluates the impact of a social function, a reception, to gauge its ability to make international students comfortable with the library and its services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discusses literary and film interests among library patrons in assisted-living residences in a small-town Midwestern context. The importance of library services for seniors is addressed. Popular genres and literary themes are discussed, and the concepts of “relational librarianship” and senior services librarian are advocated. This article attempts to identify popular literary and film genres among seniors living in care facilities for the purpose of enhancing library services for senior citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article explores the development of a document delivery service by Portland State University (PSU) library to its library patrons and students in Oregon. Information about the implementation of the service include the selection of software platforms and scanning hardware on document delivery policies and marketing strategies, statistical surveys on services and casual assessment on the document service. The article also cites the benefits of document delivery services in libraries.

Libraries are faced with the challenge of developing new services that respond to the growing needs of their patron base. A library material delivery service is one new service model that is becoming increasingly popular among academic libraries around the country. While this service has shown positive results on college campuses, the service model is still evolving. The purpose of this article is to provide library professionals with a clear and concise overview of policies and logistics currently implemented by the Library Express Delivery Service at Florida State University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kentucky Pack Horse Libraries project was a government-funded Works Progress Administration programme that paid librarians, mostly women, to deliver reading material on the backs of horses and mules to rural Appalachian mountaineers in eastern Kentucky from 1936 to 1943. As part of their work, the librarians would create original scrapbooks for their collections using fragments of discarded books, magazines, reader-contributed stories and drawings, and other printed ephemera. In creating these scrapbooks, librarians expanded their traditional roles as collectors and distributors of information by becoming authors, editors, self-publishers, and archivists of local memory and culture. This study examines a representative collection of these scrapbooks and discusses the librarians' roles in their creation and distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eBooks-on-Demand (EOD) network provides a trans-European digital document delivery service for end-users from all over the world offering digitization on demand of the public domain holdings of participating libraries. Currently the EOD network comprises over 30 libraries from 12 European countries. The service is offered through „EOD buttons“ placed at each record in the different library catalogues. Already in the first years of the service a common interface to search for all books offered for the digitization service was demanded over and over. After a process of evaluation in 2009, it was decided on implementing an instance of the open source software VuFind and ingesting records from the participating libraries. At the end of 2010, the common search interface went online under http://search.books2ebooks.eu and makes currently available over 1.8 Mio. records from 12 libraries — giving direct access to already digitized items as well as books offered for digitisation on demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of a study undertaken by regional library systems in cities including Frankfurt am Main, Karlsruhe, and Regensburg, Germany. The study concerned the duration of the physical transport of library media by containers and the system of book cars. Charts are presented showing the time needed to process the media, the times between sending and receiving the media, and time differences between various types of libraries, such as university and public libraries.

In every academic institution, libraries are the central nerve system which enables the effective functioning of all academic related programs. In fact the trend in providing the services to the user community in most of the academic libraries has changed radically. The expectations from the users have also increased at an enormous level. Consequently the libraries in academic institutions are expected to equip it with the adequate infrastructure facilities, and latest technology devices, well trained staff structure and so on. This paper envisages the fact that the services provided in academic libraries and effectiveness among its users of Puducherry region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the need for rethinking resource sharing to offer both library users and nonlibrary users options to obtain the material they seek from both libraries and commerical sources. The article discusses several programs that are emerging including the "GoGetter" function, the Rethinking Resource Sharing Manifesto, user needs, and delivery issues. Lastly, it suggests some ways that the participants could become involved and provide input to RethinkingResourceSharing.org. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student preferences for remote access to information coupled with their preference for face-to-face assistance provide a unique challenge for librarians. Providing equitable library services for distance learners that meet these preferences becomes increasingly important as the number of courses offered online grows at a rapid pace. The author suggests that the presence of a librarian in the online classroom and the application of business models of relationship-based services to the online course environment can result in the development of exemplary library services for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews three articles on document delivery systems. `Testing the Feasibility of Unmediated Document Delivery Services with EBSCOdoc: The Utah State University Experience,' by Carol A. Kochan and John Elsweiler; `Selection of Overseas Document Delivery Vendors,' by Yau Ching Leung; `Evaluating Document Delivery Services,' by Mark A. Wettler.

Purpose — This paper aims to provide a description of a new service to be launched in England that will open up the holdings of public libraries to citizens and enable them to order items for home delivery. Design/methodology/approach — This paper provides a descriptive analysis of a new service to be launched in England. Findings — The paper finds that such a service is desired by stakeholders and will enhance the ability of citizens to identify and obtain books that are currently inaccessible to them. Originality/value — The first public presentation of a service from an author who is responsible for the overall development of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a meeting of the "Deutscher Bibliotheksverband" (German Library Association) that was held on March 6, 2008 in Heidelberg, Germany. The main focus of the conference was on copy deliveries. In particular, lending services and the library delivery service Subito are main aspects of the conference discussion.