International Successes

The world really does get smaller when it comes to interlibrary loans. Going back more years than I care to remember we generally only received items from overseas via the British Library's Worldwide Search Service and while efficient it did tend to be a bit pricey. In more recent years we have undertaken our own searching, joined some international consortiums, and utilised the IFLA vouchers scheme. As a result we now receive items from far and wide and ILL staff have created a visual representation by way of a world map displayed in the department and each time we receive something from a 'new' international location in goes a colour pin to mark the occasion which if you look carefully you can just about see!
 

 


This has increased the satisfaction levels and led to some very nice compliments from our customers such as this comment below taken from  the annual progress report of a final year PhD student.
"I would also like to mention in particular the librarians at the University in particular the Inter Library loans staff who are just simply fantastic. I do not think there is a book or text that they cannot find (ok the dead sea scrolls took them over a week which I thought was a bit slack). They are an essential component of any learning environment and they stand out so I think the library should be proud". 

Isn't it nice we all provide a service that is so highly valued?

Lesley
FIL Committee

New all-Wales Find a Book software – it’s BETA!!!

The former all-Wales ‘Find a Book’ (a troubled system that caused ILL staff more than a few headaches, especially in its final dying months) has been replaced by a new software and was launched in BETA in December 2014. Find a Book searches FE, HE, NHS, public and specialist library catalogues in Wales (you can limit by sector) and enables users to order from any library using an online form. Needless to say, it’s early days, and, as with any software/systems switches, we can only thank IT gurus for conceiving the term ‘BETA’! Meanwhile.......

"National Library of Wales" by Ian Capper.

ILL staff members, front line staff and, undoubtedly, users, are, to quote a member of the North Wales Libraries Partnership ILL staff, ‘discovering the little foibles of the new system’ (whether the tone was ironic, irritated, droll or affectionate remains to be seen!); and the National Library of Wales and ExLibris teams are working tirelessly to eradicate the system’s ‘little foibles’. If you have a burning desire to check out the new software, click here and feel free to feed back to the team (if you do a simple search by title, you’re pretty much golden, but be forewarned, one of its little foibles lies with the advanced search – did I mention it’s in BETA?!).

But what does the new system mean for ILL? Back in the days before e-books and e-journals had fully pervaded libraries and hand-held tablets were mere twinkles in the eyes (and twitches to bank balances) of manufacturers, ILL within north Wales increased by 60% and increased hugely across Wales, with loans in some libraries/authorities rocketing by almost 400%. However, with library closures, opening hour reductions, self-issue machines and growing e-resource usage, it’s hard to predict what next for ILL. But one thing is for sure…when Find a Book's little foibles (this one is affectionate!) are eradicated and the software is running smoothly, Wales will be seeing increases in ILL once again. How much remains to be seen, but watch this space!  

                             

Images:
"National Library of Wales" by Ian Capper. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_Library_of_Wales.jpg#mediaviewer/File:National_Library_of_Wales.jpg

Conference

I will be stepping down from Committee this June, having served my allotted time. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?

It really has been a very enjoyable experience; can’t believe it is 4 years since I sat in Durham contemplating whether or not I should even put my name forward, let alone join such an illustrious group!  Although I haven’t ‘held office’, as such, I have led the planning for three of the last four conferences and, with me gone, the committee will be looking for another mug  contributor. So I thought I’d use this blog to outline the main duties, in case there is anyone out there just bursting with ideas and energy to carry through the next conference.

When anyone asks what I do, the reply, “well, I organise Interlend”. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Well, I have to say right now that I couldn’t do it without a lot of help from my fellow committee members. I sometimes feel I just form the first small snowball, then push it down the hill…..

The venue (location and accommodation) is usually a joint decision of the Executive Committee, based on feedback from members. Once that is decided, the conference organising falls to a sub-group, led by me.  Mainly, it’s all about co-ordinating, making sure that things are done in a relatively logical order, and that key target dates are met. We need to get sponsors, whose contributions fund the conference packs and goody bags, as well as provide useful information for you all. I usually approach the keynote speakers, to see if they are willing to contribute, and then coordinate their attendance.

You’ll all have seen the call for speakers recently and I hope some of you will be thinking of presenting. Once the committee has vetted the submissions, and agreed which to accept, the fun of building the programme begins! Starting with two blank sheets of paper can be a challenge. Which speakers are available when?  Where to fit in activities (visits etc)? How to strike a balance between sectors? Should  each day have a theme? And don’t forget the important refreshment breaks! Once we have the draft, it’s the mechanics of producing the programme - collating speaker biographies, including sponsor’s logos. But once it is all in place, all we can do is hope and pray that you enjoy it. The more you contribute, the more you will. Honestly J.

So if you have any good ideas and could help plan ahead for Interlend 2016, please think about joining the Committee in June. They’re a good bunch. And I will miss being a part of it all.

Su