Austin, Texas
May 18-20, 1994

The Research Library the Day After Tomorrow

Information Access & Delivery Services:

A Strategic Direction for Research Libraries

Introduction

Research libraries are taking full advantage of technology to redesign their access and delivery services in order to maximize their constituencies' access to instructional and research materials and to minimize the costs of supporting such services. Discussions among participants in ARL's North American Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery (NAILDD) Project1 identified a need for a shared understanding about future directions for library access and delivery services.

The statement that follows describes an environment in which users may exercise choice and responsibility; and in which research libraries serve as sources for comprehensive collections, centers of instruction and advice, and providers of gateway services to other libraries or information sources. This statement presents the consensus view of the leadership of research libraries about the future direction of library access and delivery services.

In an environment of distributed networked information and desktop delivery, research libraries are a primary but not exclusive source for user access to instructional and research materials. Local online library information systems support access to a variety of appropriate information sources and provide flexible ordering and delivery features that enable users to initiate a request electronically and to receive material from many libraries or other information sources.

A library's technical systems, coupled with supporting institutional and library policies, will enable a user to:

• have transparent access to the most relevant information through appropriate local and remote library catalogs, citation databases, and electronic resources,

• transfer bibliographic citations or details about non-bibliographic items into electronic requests or orders,

• pass requests or orders through the library online system to determine the local availability of the item,

• depending on the user's choice and local policy, direct the request or order to one of a range of suppliers including document delivery suppliers, or a local or remote library interlibrary loan/document delivery department,

• communicate electronically with the chosen supplier, and

• receive the print materials, multimedia, data, or full text/full image copy of non-returnable documents directly at their desk or workstation.

As these user-initiated services evolve, individual libraries will devise strategies to minimize the costs of the services and optimize appropriate staff involvement in user assistance programs such as reference and instruction. Library services that teach users to think critically and clarify their information needs will be expanded to assist all types of users to develop different levels of information and networking skills.

The quality and use of libraries' access and delivery services will be key success factors in measuring overall library performance.

Achieving such access and delivery services requires focused attention and participation on the part of all libraries in North America and colleagues around the world, and will be an evolutionary process shaped by the local library mission and its available resources. This strategic direction requires

• the continued strengthening of library collections comprised of all formats,

• adherence to copyright and licensing practices that recognize fair use of materials, and

• the availability of an effective and affordable local communications system, user access to necessary hardware and software, and appropriate institutional and library technical support.

Pursuit of these new services also demands active collaboration between libraries and a broad constituency of private sector interlibrary loan, document delivery, library automation vendors, and data providers.

Adopted by the ARL Board of Directors

July 19, 1994

1 The NAILDD Project was initiated by ARL in 1993 to facilitate the development of standards, software, and system design capabilities to improve interlibrary loan and document delivery services for users, and to make them more cost effective for research libraries. The NAILDD Project is undertaken in collaboration with over 40 key ILL/DD vendors and system suppliers. Also underway is an ARL Office of Management Services process to assist libraries to redesign ILL operations and anticipate and accommodate new article delivery options and other networked information services.