Document delivery services in the Latvian Academic Library

Ivar Indands
Latvian Academic Library

The end of the last century was characterised by the increased public demand for different kinds of information which gives us grounds to call our time "information age". The intensive development of industry, agriculture and science would be impossible without the constant exchange of information and the implementation of modern methods and achievements. This pace of life has direct implication on the work of libraries, above all research libraries.

The times when we could successfully satisfy the demands of user just by the books stored in our stacks are history now (we no longer use the word "readers", as besides reading the LAL provides a wide range of services, including the use of PCs, Internet access etc.). Due to a dramatic increase in the number of periodicals (the number of scientific journals doubles every 10 years) we have to look for new ways of satisfying the needs of library user.

The early 1990-ies marked a dramatic increase in the gap between the limited resources of the Latvian Academic Library and the ever increasing user demand for new publications. Having analysed the situation we arrived at the conclusion that the only alternative way to provide satisfactory information support for users would be to rely on databases and document delivery services offered by other institutions. This allows us to separate the search process from the actual delivery (e.g. gaining access to the full text of the document). The separation of the two processes allows the management of the scarce financial resources in a more flexible way by placing more emphasis on the purchase of databases and document delivery services.

As LAL users have a varied range of interests, it was decided in 1992 to purchase several universal databases on CD-ROM and keep an option to purchase some other specialised databases, depending on the user interests. The main databases currently are "Science Citation Index with Abstracts" and "Compendex*Plus". In addition, the Library has a license for the on-line use of the "STN International" database. The users can search for the required articles, conference and seminar proceedings in the databases and obtain bibliographic data.

In order to provide the users with the full text of the documents the following steps have been taken:

• Creation of a database of foreign periodicals available in the libraries of Latvia. This database is available to all Internet users at http://www.acadlib.lv/data?Form=IELBIBL
• Analysis and choice of document delivery service suppliers.
• The first contract was signed in 1994 with the "British Library Document Supply Centre" (BLDSC). We think this is one of the leading institutions in the world which possesses almost a complete list of titles of periodicals and other publications. Subsequently we signed contracts with other suppliers of such services: in 1996 with the "JASON" system of the German University Library Consortium, in 1997 with "JUPITER" a similar organisation in the Netherlands. These two organisations receive part of their funding from the respective governments which allows them to keep lower prices for their services – this is very important for our users. Some opportunities for EDD cost funding were found in co-operation with the Open Society Institute (Budapest).

As a result of this activity the EDD services are gaining in popularity: in 1996 we received 10-20 orders a month, and currently this figure has grown to 100-150 orders.

Our experience of co-operation with different EDD suppliers allows us to present a comparative analysis of their services. The highest percentage of order fulfilment was demonstrated by the BLDSC (98%). Both JASON and JUPITER fulfil approximately 60-75% of our requests.

The table below gives some characteristics of the EDD services used by the LAL:

Due to the differences in payment schemes the table below compares prices for the delivery of different size documents (in USD). Some of the prices have changed since 1 April 2000.

Based on our experience I can offer some conclusions with regards to the use and creation of EDD services. In the current state of automation the most efficient form of EDD service is the one that relies on Internet, which helps to considerably speed up the order and delivery procedures. The regular post services usually used by ILL services take weeks whereas via the Internet the requested article is received within several hours. In terms of formats for the copy delivery we found that the most efficient and convenient format is TIFF. The JASON service delivers documents in which one page corresponds to one TIFF file. All the pages (TIFF files) are compressed in self-archiving EXE files. The size of such files is usually 1 MB. The use of PDF files without compression requires the sending of big size files, sometimes up to 10 MB, which creates complications due to overloaded networks and possible e-mail server filters. The use of Internet and e-mail for the delivery of documents allows the library to offer the users additional services: the documents can be forwarded to the user's personal e-mail address. In order to simplify the document order process in the web lists the LAL has created an electronic order form http://www.acadlib.lv/various_forms/copy_request/copy_request.htm

The use of this form and e-mail for the document delivery allows users to order and receive document copies from their Internet workstations which is in line with the "digital library" principles.

Constant analysis and testing of new opportunities and offers are needed for a rational approach of libraries to EDD services due to the dynamic nature of the market. Increased popularity currently been enjoyed by the EDD services of such organisations as "Springer LINK" (http://link.springer.de/), "EBSCO Publishing" (http://search.gobal.epnet.com/). Their services are attractive due to a flexible pricing policy for East European countries. At the same time the LAL has no information on such services in Russia and other CIS countries which possess information resources of great potential interest to the users of the Latvian Academic Library.