“Library Rush! ” Development of a Multi-Site High-Volume Rapid Document Delivery

Scope: A primary goal for the Mayo Clinic Libraries ’ electronic document delivery service is to minimize the delivery time of online and print-based articles to requesters. One recent project, Celsus II, produced an automated transactions system that effectively decreased the time lag for article delivery. Celsus II is an easy-to-use in-house designed system developed by teams representing Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health System libraries across five states. Methods: Research Computing Facility, Human Computer Interaction, and library staff at Mayo Clinic and the Mayo Health System recorded and analyzed paper-based workflow procedures to guide development of the Celsus II system. The resulting interface allows rapid processing with identification of online texts, minimal clicks, and rapid sorting. Further, Celsus II is used by novice and skilled library staff working collaboratively across multiple sites. Duplicability Potential: This project is replicable for multi-site high volume libraries or information centers where rapid electronic document delivery is required. Lessons Learned: 1) Observing the workflow details at various sites assisted staff in identifying opportunities to decrease or eliminate time lag. 2) Mantis, a "bug " tracking system, enabled excellent and consistent communication among staff at distant sites by providing a reliable forum to communicate suggestions and status checks on a 24/7 basis. Current Status: The Celsus II system is currently in full operational or internal electronic document delivery of online and print-based articles across the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health System sites. Further development to provide external document delivery is underway