Attracting, Educating and Serving Remote Users through the Web: A How‐to‐do‐it Manual for Librarians

Citation

Orman, D. (2003), "Attracting, Educating and Serving Remote Users through the Web: A How‐to‐do‐it Manual for Librarians", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 31 No. 1, pp. 60-61. https://doi.org/10.1108/02641610310460736

“Librarians have the advantage of a reputation for credibility and altruism”, writes Araby Y. Greene in this excellent volume, “but most of us”, he adds, “are pathetic at marketing” (p. 107). At its core, this book is about marketing. We have the information – to hand, if not in our heads; the trick is to convey this to our users. This was, until relatively recently, achieved virtually exclusively by providing advice, help and information on a face‐to‐face basis. But, notes Curtis in her introduction, an increasingly large proportion of our actual or potential users are not visiting libraries – at least not for traditional reasons. The contributors to this volume set out to show how we deal with this trend towards a favouring of the Web as a medium of promotion, education and service.

Evidently, a book concerning itself with the Web must provide URLs – and these can be found, as appropriate, throughout the text. There is, of course, always the danger of in‐built obsolescence in such cases, but by concentrating largely (and aptly) on the main players, this danger is reduced. Whether some, many or all of the URLs referenced disappear in time, this volume will nevertheless continue to be useful, both as a “how to” book and a revision aid.

Written from a decidedly US perspective – the contributors are all based at the University of Nevada, Reno – this edition has been made more relevant to the European market by having Ian create accompanying Web pages. (The original, US‐based, companion Web site, with links to the sites and information recommended for further information in the book is also provided – an example of the good practice advocated by the editor and contributors). This is not to say that the book lacks value for librarians outside of the USA, though as always readers should be particularly cautious regarding any statement concerning copyright laws.

If I have one criticism, it is that the title is not an accurate description of the content. In her introduction, Curtis clarifies:

Remote users could be anywhere, thousands of miles away or in the building next door … What makes users “remote”, for the purposes of some parts of this book, is the fact that they are using a computer … to interact with library‐provided resources or services ….

Approaching my reading from the perspective of a reviewer for this journal, I naturally turned first to the chapter covering document supply (written by Margaret J. Ressel and Millie J. Syring, respectively Reference Librarian and Distance Education Librarian, and Head of Document Delivery at the University of Nevada, Reno). There is, of course, overlap between current awareness services and document delivery, and their grouping in a single chapter makes sense. In terms of current awareness services, the authors concentrate on “the most prominent multidisciplinary services”, though there is also a selection of specialized alert services. Each service is briefly summarized – useful for old hands who want a reminder as well as for newcomers. Preprints are dealt with, as are other CAS tools.

The document delivery‐specific section covers 20 pages, though I should emphasise that much else in the book is of relevance too. So, for example, when dealing with Web request forms for document delivery, the reader is referred to an earlier section, in which various methods of creating such forms are provided.

As used in the book, document delivery includes interlending, use of commercial doc‐del suppliers, and in‐house copying and delivery services. The explanations of each are impeccably clear. Yet this is far from being a simplistic text: where various possible scenarios exist (for example, where the provision of electronic journals in an institution may lead to an increase or decrease in document delivery requests), this is noted. Practicality is at the fore throughout, with, for instance, the authors suggesting that an in‐house document delivery service is one solution to the perennial problem of users placing requests for material which the library already owns.

As well as providing overviews of activities, the important details are included. Thus, for example, when discussing the creation of the returnables aspect of an in‐house service, the reader is prompted to include a return address label as well as to give the user the option of bringing items back in person if they wish.

Usefully, information on creating such things as “mailto” links and e‐mail forms is provided. Though widely available elsewhere, embedding such information in the text is particularly convenient, adding to the overall sense of the volume as a workbook. This workbook approach is appropriate and sensible: if a section may not be of relevance to readers, this is noted, along with a suggestion to “skip to the next section”.

I would have liked there to have been more space devoted to interlending/document supply management systems; but that is sheer greed. As it is, the names, suppliers and URLs of the ten major systems providers are given, along with a brief and useful summary of what readers should look for in such a system.

Details of how to create an in‐house mediated doc‐del service (including delivery of books) is welcome, as is the provision of a screen capture of a neat, user‐friendly Web page on document delivery from the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries’ Web site.

It is not difficult to find things to say about this book; what is difficult is keeping a review of it suitably brief. I have concentrated on the chapter dealing with document supply, partly because that seemed to be sensible in view of the readership of this review, but also because, by concentrating on just one chapter, it has been easier to show the range and depth in each of the book’s chapters. In fact, of course, I did venture more than once into other areas of the book. Few of its pages are without interest and value for anyone keen to develop or enhance their library’s “remote” usership, and this is to be recommended: each section, though written by different authors, contributes to the whole. This perhaps derives from, but is certainly represented by, the fact that all of the contributors work for a single library, and the impression is properly given that each section, within a library as well as within this volume, is an essential part of the whole.

There is a great deal in this book that is of value. Unusually, perhaps, it is to be recommended to managers and practitioners alike: the user‐friendly layout acts as a useful summary of the area for managers, while the concise and usable information will prove a delight to those actually responsible for implementing the concepts.

The contributors have set out to show readers how to attract, educate and serve “remote” users through the Web. But the book deals with far more, from the basics of creating a service from scratch, through concise, understandable sections on forms, to sections on the management of services and the Web.

This is one of that select group of volumes which is unlikely to gather dust.