Borrow Direct: its impact on service quality at Yale University Library

Abstract

Librarians at three large universities successfully developed a reader‐initiated borrowing model of interlibrary resource sharing, known as Borrow Direct, that now operates among seven major academic libraries in the US. The underlying software allows the reader to perform a virtual broadcast search of members' online catalogs. Automatic electronic notification to readers and elimination of some staff processing has resulted in major service improvements as assessed by both customers and managers. Describes the history of the initiative to reach technical goals of delivering loans within four days of request submission and for less than $10 per transaction. Also summarizes results of a survey of the perceptions of those who use the service.

Citation

Nitecki, D.A. and Jones, C.L. (2004), "Borrow Direct: its impact on service quality at Yale University Library", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 146-151. https://doi.org/10.1108/02641610410551969