Assessing the effectiveness of a national resource sharing system

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the surveys, carried out during 2011 and 2013, regarding the functionality of and possible improvements to Italy’s nationwide resource sharing service NILDE (Network for Inter-Library Document Exchange).

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology comprises both an analysis of quantitative data about ILL transactions initiated during a 2011 study and a qualitative assessment of the system based on information obtained from the surveys and a SWOT analysis. This proved to be an effective methodology, and a new survey was launched in 2013 to verify whether the choices made and the projects undertaken were in line with user expectations.

Findings

The results turned out to be particularly interesting and a source of hints for planning future improvements.

Originality/value

Italian studies for assessing user satisfaction of library services, based on user surveys, often relate to a single library or a single University. The NILDE survey was delivered nationwide to all the registered users of NILDE. This is the most extensive survey for the number of libraries and the various types of end users involved.

Citation

Mangiaracina, S., Cocever, C., Chiandoni, M. and Arabito, S. (2014), "Assessing the effectiveness of a national resource sharing system", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 42 No. 2/3, pp. 98-104. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILDS-12-2013-0039