From Discovery to Delivery: Successful Systems Integration

Patrons want library collections to be unrestricted in scope. Demands for information resources are increasing while libraries are facing decreasing budgets and minimal staffing support. ILL and consortial services can help libraries expand access to collections. Patron-initiated borrowing systems are a current trend in libraries, but seamlessly integrating them is challenging. Our poster will analyze problems in patron-initiated consortial borrowing and lending services. We will introduce our new generation service, which combines more than four complex library systems and allows them to work together in real-time availability: the OPAC, a consortial borrowing system, an ILL system, an ILS, and an authentication system. This service has seamlessly integrated our new discovery tool, WorldCat Local, with our borrowing and lending systems: local, consortial and worldwide ILL. Our patron requests have dramatically increased as requests are now automatically transferred from system to system based on the item’s availability, maintaining rapid delivery. This technological advancement provides more services to our patrons, costs less and improves the time management of our staff