This presentation was provided by Heidi Nance of The Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation, during Session Six of the NISO event "Assessment Practices and Metrics for the 21st Century," held on December 6, 2019.

1. Demystifying
Resource
Sharing
NISO SERIES ON LIBRARY
ASSESSMENT FOR THE 21ST
CENTURY, DECEMBER 6, 2019
HEIDI NANCE
DIRECTOR OF RESOURCE SHARING
INITIATIVES
IVY PLUS LIBRARIES
CONFEDERATION

2. De-mystification
WHY IS RESOURCE SHARING SO IMPORTANT AND SO
COMPLICATED? WHAT DATA IS AVAILABLE?

3. Why is Resource Sharing So Important?
No one library or consortium can own everything its users might need.
◦ Even if you have money, do you have space or time?
Shared print programs depend on reliable access to materials.
Increasing numbers of materials are being sent off-site.
Relying on resource sharing for access to some low-use or quickly-available items could free your
time, money, and space for acquisition of unique items and additional copies of high-use items,
enriching both your collection and the collective collection.
Users live in a world of Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, and Uber.

4. Why is Resource Sharing so complicated?
Discovery
Local
Group
Format
Method of access
Request - User
Local
ILL
Consortial Resource
Sharing
Special Collections
Scanning
Scan on demand
Retrieval from off site
storage
Purchase request
Request - Library
ILLiad or no ILLiad
WorldShare (OCLC)
DOCLINE (NLM)
Relais D2D (OCLC)
INN-Reach (ProQuest)
Rapid (ProQuest)
Alma (ProQuest)
International (email,
ISO)
Send method of access
Moved to circulation
desk
Physical shipping
Scanning
Special Collections
shipping
Receive
ILL System
Local System
(sometimes)
Use
Circ via Local
Circ via ILL System
Return
ILL System
Local System
Shipping method
Complete
Systems are complex.

5. Why is Resource Sharing so complicated?
Discovery
Local
Group
Format
Method of access
Request - User
Local
ILL
Consortial Resource
Sharing
Special Collections
Scanning
Scan on demand
Retrieval from off site
storage
Purchase request
Request - Library
ILLiad or no ILLiad
WorldShare (OCLC)
DOCLINE (NLM)
Relais D2D (OCLC)
INN-Reach (ProQuest)
Rapid (ProQuest)
Alma (ProQuest)
International (email,
ISO)
Send method of access
Moved to circulation
desk
Physical shipping
Scanning
Special Collections
shipping
Receive
ILL System
Local System
(sometimes)
Use
Circ via Local
Circ via ILL System
Return
ILL System
Local System
Shipping method
Complete
Systems are complex.
… and then there are the
protocols! ISO ILL, NCIP, eSIP,
z39.50, APIs, and so on.

6. At its core, it’s simply a double circulation.
Discovery
Request -
User
Request -
Library
Send
method
of access
Receive Use Return Complete
Principles are simple.

7. Life Cycle of a Resource Sharing Request
Discovery
Request -
User
Request -
Library
Send
method
of access
Receive Use Return Complete

8. What
Resource
Sharing data
can help tell
you
 Who is requesting?
 What are they requesting?
 When are they requesting it?
 Where did they discover it?
 Who are we borrowing it from?
 What format did we borrow it in?
 How long did it take to arrive?
 What were we unable to borrow?
 Comparison to local circulation
 Policy impacts
 Service impacts
 System impacts

9. Type of Data
Aggregate numbers show large
trends over time.
Transaction-level details show
details and nuances of a particular
person, time, place, and item.

10. Interpreting the Data
PURPOSE, METHODS, EVALUATION, AND NEXT STEPS BASED ON
DATA.

11. Important The data is neutral.
What it tells you depends on your collection goals and priorities.

12. Possible Goals & Priorities
 Collection for the ages and/or future
 Collection for today
 “Just in time” access
“Just in case” access
 Reduce costs
 Expand access
Support local community

13. Basic Building Blocks of an Effective Resource
Sharing Collections Report
Item
Patron
System
Lender
Delivery
Use

14. Basic Building Blocks of an Effective Resource
Sharing Collections Report
Item
Title
Author
Publisher
Year
Subject
Language
Format
Edition
Volume
Issue
… ideally, everything in the full metadata record (MARC).

15. Basic Building Blocks of an Effective Resource
Sharing Collections Report
Patron
Status
Faculty
Graduate Student
Undergraduate Student
Staff
Visiting Scholar/Alumni
Department
It depends … let me tell you a story.

16. Basic Building Blocks of an Effective Resource
Sharing Collections Report
Lender
Lending Library
Geography
Consortia or Group
Library Type
UPS Shipping Zone

17. Basic Building Blocks of an Effective Resource
Sharing Collections Report
System
Discovery Platform
Main Discovery Tool
Google Scholar
Database
Other
Requesting
Consortial System(s)
OCLC WorldShare
NLM DOCLINE
ProQuest Rapid or Rapid-R?
ISO
Email form
Other

18. Basic Building Blocks of an Effective Resource
Sharing Collections Report
Delivery
Speed of delivery
Delivery method (digital or physical)
Fees
Loan period
Use restrictions
Use

19. Additional things the data may tell you
 Did we save money by not having to select, acquire, process, store, and preserve this item?
 Is there a growing need in this subject area, and do we need to allocate additional resources in this area?
 Did recent changes in our Discovery environment alter trends in request volume, type, and user
demographics?
 Are there substantial numbers of item being requested that are outside of the requestor’s primary subject
area?
 Does use increase if the item is immediately available locally? By how much?
 What kinds of things are we regularly unable to borrow, and why?
Are any of the requested items available through open access? If so, were they delivered that way? If not,
why not?

20. Trends
HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO A SEAMLESS USER EXPERIENCE?

21. Goal
To make the collective collection look, act, and feel as much like the local collection as possible.

22. Change our thinking > users & collections
My user
My
collection
Your user
Your
collection

23. Change our thinking > users & collections
My user
My
collection
Your user
Your
collection

24. There is only the user and the item.
User Item

25. Change our thinking > Access options
1. Able to be physically lent
2. Able to be digitally lent
3. Able to be digitized – section only
4. Able to be digitized – whole item
5. Access online now (point to digital copy)
6. Contact owning library directly for access options

26. What if the user could select format as well
as item?
REQUEST
• Borrow physical item (2-4 days)
• Temporary access digital item (24 hours)
• Digital item – scan of a section (24 hours)
• Digital item – scan of entire item (5-10 days)
• View online now >
• Contact us for on-site use >

27. Ideally, these 5 ways should not be affected
by item location or user affiliation
Library Building Offsite Storage Shared Print Shared Digital
Repositories
Physically lent ✓ ✓ ✓ n/a
Temporary access –
digital item
✓ n/a n/a ✓
Scanned - section ✓ ✓ ✓ n/a
Scanned - whole ✓ ✓ ✓ n/a
Access online now ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Use on site ✓ ✓ ✓ n/a

28. Library Building Offsite Storage Shared Print Shared Digital
Repositories
Physically lent Circulation
Resource Sharing
Circulation
Resource Sharing
Circulation
Resource Sharing
n/a
Temporary access –
digital item
“Guest” account n/a n/a Authentication
“Guest” account
Scanned - section Scan on demand
Resource Sharing
Scan on demand
Resource Sharing
Scan on demand
Resource Sharing
n/a
Scanned - whole In-copyright –
Controlled Digital
Lending
In-copyright –
Controlled Digital
Lending
In-copyright –
Controlled Digital
Lending
n/a
Access online now IP address range, openly
available, “guest”
account
IP address range, openly
available, “guest”
account
IP address range, openly
available, “guest”
account
IP address range, openly
available, “guest”
account
Use on site Library Use Only Transferred to closest
library
Transferred to closest
library
n/a

29. New access option >
Controlled Digital Lending for print items?
“Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) is an emerging method that allows libraries to loan print books to
digital patrons in a “lend like print” fashion. Through CDL, libraries use technical controls to ensure a
consistent “owned-to-loaned” ratio, meaning the library circulates the exact number of copies of a
specific title it owns, regardless of format, putting controls in place to prevent users from
redistributing or copying the digitized version.”
https://controlleddigitallending.org/
Accessed 12/6/19

30. New access option >
“Guest” account for e-items?
• Library and vendor agree to create X number of “guest” accounts within the content platform.
• When Resource Sharing staff receive a request for content in that platform, they use a ”guest”
account to provide access to that single item for a period of Y days. Resource Sharing staff share the
login credentials with the requesting library, who passes them on to their user.
• User has access to that item for designated period, with controlled DRM. Access expires after Y days.
Vendor sees all use data but user remains anonymous.

31. Systems, Policies, Laws, Workflows, Staff
o We need Discovery and Resource Sharing systems that support scan on demand, controlled digital lending,
automated direction to digital repositories, delivery of “guest user” account credentials, and on-site use for non-
affiliated users.
o We need policies that recognize our interdependence and prioritize access to the collective collection (Resource
Sharing in licenses, for example).
o We need to think carefully about our legal rights and risk avoidance – is not doing something riskier than doing
something?
o We need to prioritize access in both our physical and digital workflows in library operations outside of Resource
Sharing.
o We need to work with staff across all functional areas and all administrative levels to help them understand
their role related to the collective collection.

32. “
Resource Sharing among libraries is a miracle of the twentieth century. Our challenge today is to
sustain and refresh this vital service in the face of collective collections, born-digital content, threats
to copyright exceptions, discovery chaos, user-driven acquisitions, and many other trends which alter
the ways we identify, request, and deliver stuff. Librarians have the expertise, innovative spirit, and
chutzpah to radicalize and transform the ways libraries share print and digital resources in support of
our users. ”
◦ Jim Neal, University Librarian Emeritus at Columbia University, past president of American Library Association, 2017-2018

33. Thank you!
Heidi Nance
Director of Resource Sharing Initiatives
Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation
hnance@Princeton.edu