When David Ketchum arrived at the University of Oregon Libraries in February 2012 as the new Resource Sharing Librarian, there was a clear distinction between “Lenders” and “Borrowers” in ILL. In this session David will cover some benefits of cross-training in ILL and share how a cross-training program and rotating task schedule was developed in his department that has transcended this legacy model and helped foster a more efficient, collaborative learning environment. Presentation by David Ketchum

1. David Ketchum | dketchum@uoregon.edu
Resource Sharing Librarian
The University of Oregon Libraries

3. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process

4. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process
Better recognize priorities & fill in for others

5. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process
Better recognize priorities & fill in for others
Provide better customer service

6. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process
Better recognize priorities & fill in for others
Provide better customer service
Offer more comprehensive support for & oversight of student assistants

7. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process
Better recognize priorities & fill in for others
Provide better customer service
Offer more comprehensive support for & oversight of student assistants
Diversify task assignments & learn new skills

8. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process
Better recognize priorities & fill in for others
Provide better customer service
Offer more comprehensive support for & oversight of student assistants
Diversify task assignments & learn new skills
Collaborate & team-build

9. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process
Better recognize priorities & fill in for others
Provide better customer service
Offer more comprehensive support for & oversight of student assistants
Diversify task assignments & learn new skills
Collaborate & team-build
Enhance flexibility

10. Support the life-cycle of scholarly content
Build the multi-institutional library
Improve the user experience
Support instruction that fosters academic success
Become a learning organization
Advance diversity
UO Libraries Strategic Directions

11. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process
Better recognize priorities & fill in for others
Provide better customer service
Offer more comprehensive support for & oversight of student assistants
Diversify task assignments & learn new skills
Collaborate & team-build
Enhance flexibility
More balanced workload

12. More complete understanding of the entire ILL process
Better recognize priorities & fill in for others
Provide better customer service
Offer more comprehensive support for & oversight of student assistants
Diversify task assignments & learn new skills
Collaborate & team-build
Enhance flexibility
More balanced workload
Succession planning

13. No/Little Experience: I am not
comfortable performing this task
without further training
Competent: I have the
knowledge & skills to perform this
task & solve some problems, but I
still encounter questions & issues
Proficient: I have advanced
knowledge & skills in this task, I
can troubleshoot most issues &
problems, & I can train others

14. Competent or proficient in
100% of Lending Tasks
Competent or proficient in
7% of Borrowing tasks
Competent or proficient in
41% of all ILL-related tasks

15. Competent or proficient in
17% of Lending Tasks
Competent or proficient in
64% of Borrowing tasks
Competent or proficient in
50% of all ILL-related tasks

16. Competent or proficient in
100% of Lending Tasks
Competent or proficient in
71% of Borrowing tasks
Competent or proficient in
82% of all ILL-related tasks

17. 41%
100%
50%
45%
82%
50%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 Median
Median level of
competence/proficiency
in the unit = 50%

22. • Competent or proficient in 100% of Lending tasks
• Competent or proficient in 7% of Borrowing tasks
• Competent or proficient in 41% of all ILL-related tasks

23. • Competent or proficient in 100% of Lending tasks
• Competent or proficient in 7% of Borrowing tasks
• Competent or proficient in 41% of all ILL-related tasks
• Competent or proficient in 100% of Lending tasks
• Competent or proficient in 93% of Borrowing tasks
• Competent or proficient in 95% of all ILL-related tasks

24. • Competent or proficient in 17% of Lending tasks
• Competent or proficient in 64% of Borrowing tasks
• Competent or proficient in 50% of all ILL-related tasks

25. • Competent or proficient in 17% of Lending tasks
• Competent or proficient in 64% of Borrowing tasks
• Competent or proficient in 50% of all ILL-related tasks
• Competent or proficient in 100% of Lending tasks
• Competent or proficient in 93% of Borrowing tasks
• Competent or proficient in 91% of all ILL-related tasks

26. 41%
100%
50%
45%
82%
50%
95%
100%
91%
68%
95% 95%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 Median
Level of Competence/Proficiency Before Level of Competence/Proficiency After
Median level of
competence/proficiency for
the unit (Before) = 50%
Median level of
competence/proficiency for
the unit (After) = 95%
Combined increase in
individual levels of
competence/proficiency =
131%

27. 0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
December2009
January2010
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April2010
May2010
June2010
July2010
August2010
September2010
October2010
November2010
December2010
January2011
February2011
March2011
April2011
May2011
June2011
July2011
August2011
September2011
October2011
November2011
December2011
January2012
February2012
March2012
April2012
May2012
June2012
July2012
August2012
September2012
October2012
November2012
December2012
January2013
February2013
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April2013
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June2013
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Average Processing Delay Time (Minutes)

28. 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Average Processing Delay Time (Minutes)

29. “I had a just few tasks before, but I had a deep level of
knowledge about those tasks. I was a little bit worried that I
wouldn’t be able to develop that depth of knowledge about a
wide range of jobs but I was also excited to learn more. I love
understanding the whole process or lifecycle of borrowing and
lending and learning more about document delivery too. I don’t
know how I got by before, knowing only my little piece of the
whole picture.”
“I enjoy the variety of work. It keeps things
fresh and interesting to have a wider range of
tasks than before.”

30. “I feel like I have more to offer the patrons and my coworkers in
terms of being able to field patron questions, help out when
coworkers are out of the office, and help student workers with
training and troubleshooting.”
“I think we are
prepared to start the
new school year with
better communication
than ever before and
it is exciting that we
are going into this
year with more skills
and more efficiency.”
“Cross-training has really helped me provide better service to
patrons. I often used to get phone calls that I couldn’t answer
because I didn’t know anything about lending and I had a lot of
gaps in my knowledge about certain aspects of borrowing
too. I also felt like I wasn’t as useful to student workers when
they had questions because my area of expertise was narrow. I
really enjoy helping student workers, patrons, and other
libraries more effectively – it gives me a sense of satisfaction
and success as well as being a good thing for our overall ability
to provide good service.”

32. David Ketchum | dketchum@uoregon.edu
Resource Sharing Librarian
The University of Oregon Libraries