Introduction

This plan for the South Central Region (SCR) of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) is based on the National Interlibrary Loan Plan as published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The Plan includes additional elements that are specific to and meet the needs of the South Central Region. Libraries affected by this Plan should also be familiar with national and regional policies, Copyright Law of the United States, and the National Interlibrary Loan Code of the American Library Association. This plan is approved by the NN/LM SCR Board and its subcommittee, the NN/LM SCR Document Delivery Committee.

Mission

Members of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region will provide efficient, cost effective document delivery services ensuring that health professionals and/or consumers throughout the Region have timely access to information from health sciences and consumer health libraries. For consistent high quality document delivery, Network libraries will follow standardized national and regional policies and procedures.

Network Description

Any library, information center, institution or organization in the SCR with its own collection of health sciences materials from which, in part, it provides information services to health professionals and/or consumers, can become a Network participant. As participating institutions, libraries accept the goals, principles, policies and procedures of the SCR. Network institutions are divided into the following categories based on ability and willingness to assume responsibility for interlibrary lending and document delivery of materials:

• Primary Access Libraries (PALs)
  • Full members: hospital libraries, academic health science libraries and other network participants that do not serve as Resource Libraries and which normally represent the health professional's and/or consumer's first point of access into the network. PALs must contribute to and maintain holdings data in SERHOLD and participate in DOCLINE. These libraries are encouraged to develop adequate resources to respond to their users' needs and to cooperate with other PALs by sharing resources among themselves, locally, before forwarding non-available requests to appropriate Resource Libraries.
  • Affiliate members: libraries or information/resource centers that are called on for health information by its users, but which do not meet all of the criteria for Full member participation. An Affiliate member might form a cooperative relationship with a Full member, for example, for reference assistance or document delivery.
• Resource Libraries (RLs)
  There are currently 15 libraries which have been selected by and are under contract with the NN/LM SCR. RLs have sufficient collections and current acquisitions to provide document delivery service, including referrals, in accordance with SCR policies and procedures. Resource Libraries must contribute to and maintain serial holdings data in SERHOLD, participate in DOCLINE and in other regional programs. Each RL has a designatedsubregion in which it concentrates its services.
• Regional Medical Library (RML)
  The Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library serves as the Regional Medical Library in the South Central Region (SCR). The RML is also considered a Resource Library. Its collection and services serve as a back up for all Network libraries in the SCR.
• National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Regional Office (NN/LM SCR)
  While this office does not provide document delivery services, it is responsible for developing and implementing a regional document delivery plan, which is consistent with the national plan. The NN/LM SCR Office coordinates all DOCLINE activities within the region, refers callers to appropriate Loansome Doc participants, interfaces with other document delivery networks, participates in exploring improved methods of document delivery, and manages the collection, analysis, distribution and interpretation of regional document delivery performance data of all DOCLINE participants.
• National Library of Medicine (NLM)
  NLM's responsibilities include national coordination and interface with other national document delivery networks; provision of document delivery services for print and non-print materials to augment regional resources; collection and distribution of management data to monitor network performance; and development and support of DOCLINE, NLM's document delivery system.

Document Delivery

Document delivery includes, but is not limited to, the following: interlibrary loan, intralibrary loan, photocopy, fax, and desktop services.

DOCLINE is the preferred document delivery system in the SCR; however, other means and systems may be used, as long as provisions of the US Copyright Law are observed. Libraries that are DOCLINE participants must contribute their serial holdings to SERHOLD, unless the library has less than 25 current health sciences titles in its collection. NN/LM libraries are expected to first use libraries that are in geographical proximity, then Resource Libraries, followed by the RML and NLM, and finally out of region Resource Libraries when using DOCLINE or ALA Interlibrary Loan forms. Each DOCLINE library is expected to set up routing tables consistent with appropriate requesting patterns as described in this plan. The Regional Medical Library must be included in the DOCLINE Routing Tables, preferably in the second to last cell. DOCLINE participants, except for part-time staffed PALs, are expected to log on to DOCLINE every day to facilitate the flow of requests on the system.

Requesting Patterns

Network libraries that are not DOCLINE libraries are expected to use available regional locator tools to determine a local Network library that holds the item desired and to send the request to that library. Both DOCLINE and non-DOCLINE Network libraries shall make optimum use of local resources before forwarding non-available requests to appropriate Resource Libraries. The following describes the appropriate requesting patterns when local resources have been exhausted:

• Item held at nearest library
  A Network library, which determines that the desired item is available at its nearest local library, submits the request to this library. A filled loan is subject to a charge that shall not exceed the national maximum. The current Network maximum charge for filling an interlibrary loan request is set at $9.00. The RL may impose additional charges for those requests labeled RUSH and for FAX requests and on requests for audiovisuals, as well as for requests received from libraries outside of the SCR.
• Item held in Region but not at nearest resource library
  A Network library which determines that the desired item is not available at its nearest Resource Library but is held at another Resource Library or the RML in its Region can submit the request directly to the library holding the item. Such a filled request is subject to a charge that shall not exceed the national maximum. Current national maximum is $11.00.
• Item not held at Resource or Regional Medical Library
  Requests which cannot be filled within a Region may be sent by any NN/LM library directly to either NLM or to any Resource Library in the nation. Out-of-region libraries may be placed in higher cells of a DOCLINE library's routing tables. Non-DOCLINE requests must indicate that the item is not available in the SCR on the request form. All applicable regional interlibrary loan policies and procedures remain unchanged.
• Item held at the resource library or RML but not filled
  Any RL or RML that cannot fill a request for non-DOCLINE libraries shall refer it, based on locator tool information, to another RL in the Region, to the RML, or to NLM. No referral charge shall be levied if the original request was sent to the Resource Library or RML based on locator tool information. The library filling the request, including NLM, may charge for providing the loan. Unless it is indicated on the request form that a desired item is unavailable in the region, NLM will reject requests not referred by a Resource Library or RML.

Filled loans or notices of non-fulfillment are to be sent directly to the originating library. This library will ensure that the user receives the loan or is notified of the disposition of the request.

Electronic Fund Transfer System (EFTS) is considered an acceptable method of payment for document delivery within the South Central Region. The SCR rates are governed by the South Central Academic Medical Libraries (SCAMeL) consortium.

Performance Data

The basic objective of the analysis of performance data is to provide the NN/LM SCR office with data needed to assist in developing and implementing programs and services. This data supplies information for the evaluation of current performance and determination of trends and future needs. The data also assists the NN/LM SCR office with programs in collection development, maintenance, and preservation. Statistical data should be used by individual libraries to monitor the quality of their participation in the network and assist in collection development. NLM's DOCLINE statistical reports will be used to monitor and analyze performance data for the PALs, RLs, and the RML. No separate reports are required. Requests not filled due to cost will be excluded in this evaluation.

A library's fill rate is calculated by dividing the number of received requests into the number of filled requests, minus those rejected due to cost. The minimum acceptable fill rate for Resource Libraries is 75%.

Network standards require that 85% of filled and non-filled loans be processed completely within three working days. Clinical emergencies are exempt from the 85% requirement; however, these types of requests will be processed immediately by the lending library. Requests for clinical emergencies that are entered onto DOCLINE are to be followed by a phone call to the lending library.

NN/LM SCR Goals

• Define and describe the roles and responsibilities of regional participants in the National Network, including the Regional Medical Library, Resource Libraries, and Primary Access Libraries, and publish in the NN/LM SCR Document Delivery Manual, Blogadillo and in other publications on an as needed basis.
• Educate regional Network members concerning the roles and responsibilities of Network participants by publishing in the NN/LM SCR Document Delivery Manual and Blogadillo. Train members at regional and local meetings and on an as needed basis, provide telephone support, assess educational needs, and present updates at the annual meeting of the South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association.
• Coordinate all regional DOCLINE activities, including assisting new libraries with implementation, providing support for existing DOCLINE libraries, and providing mechanisms for exchanging ideas and information between member libraries and NLM. Cooperate with SCAMeL and NLM in maintenance serials holding data in SERHOLD.
• Promote participation in the NN/LM SCR. Encourage Network members to identify and refer potential members and provide information to referrals and requesting libraries.
• Encourage and recognize service excellence in the Region by investigating incentives to improve and streamline current policies.
• Promote access to the Network via Loansome Doc by maintaining current profiles on libraries willing to serve Loansome Doc participants, referring Loansome Docs to libraries willing to serve them, and sending information on Loansome Doc to potential users. Train librarians via workshop to participate in and promote Loansome Doc.
• Cooperate with the National Library of Medicine and SCAMeL in the implementation, testing and interfacing of new technologies to improve document delivery in the South Central Region.