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The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study in China to show whether open access (OA) affects document delivery services.

The authors conduct a statistical analysis and carry out an investigation through a questionnaire.

Compared with the rapid development of OA around the world, China has published a small number of OA journals. At present, the effect of OA on document delivery service in Capital Normal University Library (CNUL) is positive in that librarians can use OA as an extra resource to perform document delivery services. CNUL users know little about document delivery service or OA, but they frequently look for free Internet resources. CNUL should do more promotion of its document delivery services. Considering users’ behavior and the development of OA in future, the volume of document delivery service may be affected. CNUL should redesign its document delivery service.

The paper will be relevant to librarians interested in OA and document delivery services in China.

The aim of this research is to display an applied and descriptive survey, assessing the feasibility of creating an inter‐library loan (ILL) system and document delivery services in public libraries of Fars Province (Iran).

The tool for gathering data in this study is a questionnaire distributed to 254 people from public library managers and librarians in Fars Province. Data analysis was performed with statistical software SPSS (version 16), using descriptive statistics and the Friedman test.

Based on the findings, 69.94 percent of research librarians and 95.9 percent of managers surveyed need to implement an inter‐library loan system. Activity of libraries in Fars Province in the field of ILL and document delivery library services was very low (5.73 percent). Research subjects indicated that the limitations and potential problems in implementation included: no guarantee that prevents damage to resources (97.3 percent), a lack of consistent rules using library services ILL (95 percent), a lack of funding for cooperation among libraries (92/1 percent), a lack of cooperation between public libraries in ILL library (91.3 percent), the high cost of cooperation among libraries, non‐credit provision for main organization (89.4 percent), a lack of equipment such as computers, scanners, copiers, and faxes (89 percent), a lack of librarians familiar with network technologies and databases (83.9 percent), a lack of trust among professionals in the field of librarianship and library document delivery services (80 percent), and a lack of coordination between the center and the library system for implementation (80 percent).

The paper offers recommendations which, if enacted, would lead to a much needed improvement to the ILL and document delivery services of public (and other libraries) in Fars Province.

There has been a proliferation in commercial electronic document delivery services. Over the past few years this consistent growth, combined with enhancements to existing services, has made it difficult for librarians to keep abreast of the latest developments and service availability. This paper presents an overview of document delivery services and suppliers, and provides discussion on the various types currently available. The paper is further divided into non‐collection‐based services, collection‐based services and specialised collection‐based services. Detailed information about particular services has been collated and presented in tabular form: this includes information regarding cost, delivery time, subject field and full contact details.

It is believed that provision of document delivery services should be an integral part of the supply of bibliographic databases. After the implementation of a national agricultural information project funded by the Asian Development Bank, which provided Chinese agricultural research and training institutions with CD‐ROM workstations and databases, CAB International and its Chinese counterpart began to look into the feasibility of establishing a document delivery service in China. The paper presents the results of a survey conducted as a part of the feasibility study and gives a critical overview of China’s document delivery services provided in the agricultural sector.

This article explores the relationship of commercial document delivery services with libraries in an arena traditionally dominated by interlibrary services, focusing on the supply of article photocopies. Major trends in interlibrary lending and private sector services are summarized. Commercial services are divided into two groups: collection‐specific and full‐service suppliers. The article explores the fit of commercial services in a resource‐sharing environment. Evidence is presented that corporate libraries are more likely to use commercial services than their academic counterparts. Speed of delivery is found to be the vital factor to librarians in both types of libraries, although economic issues are also important. The article concludes with a discussion of the private sector in developing and introducing new technology for document delivery.

Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities received funding from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to investigate the collaborative provision of library services between the two institiutions. The investigation was, initially, in the area of engineering. The GAELS Project (Glasgow Allied Electronically with Strathclyde) ran between June 1999 and June 2001. An audit of existing information services which demonstrated that perceived information needs of researchers in both engineering faculties did not match the actual needs. Engineering researchers had low use of traditional library services and preferred electronic services. An overlap study of periodicals holdings between the two institutions found duplication in periodicals holdings of around £70,000 per annum. A series of document delivery trials was initiated, including local document delivery between the two sites, a commerical document delivery service for one research group, and a wholly electronic service to the desktop for bioengineers at Strathclyde University. The trials’ findings are presented along with outcomes, both actual and projected, for future collaboration.

This paper describes the results of a survey conducted by the eLib project FIDDO (Focused Investigation of Document Delivery Options), of Inter‐Library Loan (ILL) and document delivery practices in UK HE libraries. It examines library holdings, access to document delivery services, and the quality and use of such services.

Document supply in Canada presents many challenges because of the relatively small population spread over vast distances but with the majority concentrated along the United States border, There are large distances between many population centres making the timely delivery of library materials to users in these areas problematic. In an attempt to address these issues the National Library of Canada has undertaken a number of studies and initiatives. Describes some of these studies and provides a brief description of potential solutions.

The access versus holdings debate has been one of the “hot topics” within the information world for some time, and the performance of document delivery services is an integral part of the discussion. This article focuses on work currently being undertaken at the University of Liverpool to investigate and evaluate existing and future document supply services. Reference is made to related literature, the background to the pilot projects is explained, and the criteria utilised for the inclusion of services are propounded. A detailed evaluation of the following services is included: BL’s inside, BODOS, Ei Text from Elsevier Engineering Information Inc., LAMDA and UnCover. Preliminary results are reported. The conclusion to date is that, in their current from, document delivery services cannot be seen as a panacea for resolving the holdings versus access debate.