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Date:         Thu, 10 Sep 1992 11:25:00 -0400
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              <"LALONDE LB"@a1.rit.edu>
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Subject:      RE: document delivery

          I appreciated Laureen Cardon's description of BYU's on-campus
          delivery service, since I have often wondered if and how others
          dealt with this.

          Here at RIT we started offering this service to Faculty and Staff
          just a year ago.  Similar to what Laureen described, we take
          requests for deliveries over the phone, in person at the
          Circulation Desk, or via our on-line holds system.  The items are
          checked out and desensitized at Circulation, then delivered to on-
          campus offices using Circulation students.  Additionally we will
          deliver Interlibrary loan items if they request delivery at the
          time they fill in their ILL request.  We also provide delivery for
          microfilm copies that they have left with us. (This service has
          seen very little activity, surprisingly enough)

          I am in charge of the Reserve Desk, so coordinating this delvery
          service landed in my lap...since it matches what we do with
          deliveries of professors' items coming off Reserve.  The system
          pretty much runs itself at this point (which is nice!).  There are
          only a few times when problems occur, and they usually have to be
          handled by me (ownership of a service has its price!)  Examples
          would be: if there is a problem with a patron's account I usually
          end up calling them to straighten it out.  Or if the book they have
          requested is out, someone (students have been trained in this
          respect) calls them to explain why they did not get the book yet.
          The worst problem I've run across is that sometimes someone in the
          one farthest department, which is not on-campus enough for students
          to run on over there, will call.  That's when I get to take the
          precious item on over in my own car, which could seriously cramp an
          already busy day!  But these are the people who usually appreciate
          the service most....

          We do not charge for the service, unless there is already an ILL
          charge, or if they are paying for their microfilm copies.

          Circulation students do all the deliveries (except the above
          example where I step in).  They are scheduled M-F in the
          afternoons, and we state in our publicity that if a person calls
          before 2pm, they will get same day delivery.  If there are no
          deliveries, the student works at other Circulation tasks.  This has
          helped Circulation to "absorb" the service.

          In respect to the numbers who could be using this service, not many
          people are, which surprised me at first.  Then I started talking to
          some Faculty and they really didn't see it as a "need"...they liked
          coming over to browse for their books, they often found things that
          way that they wouldn't locate via computer.  They also didn't find
          it a hardship to walk 2 buildings away to come here.  So are we
          really providing a service?  My administration says yes, that the
          good will generated, however insignificant, is still good will and
          worth it.  Especially since it is a fairly painless, economic
          service for us.  So I guess I can't get rid of it that easily.....











          I'm sure there's more I could tell you, but this post is long
          enough already.  I would be willing to send a copy of my publicity
          and also the forms we use to take requests to any who ask.  I
          invite your further questions, and am also REALLY looking forward
          to hearing about what other libraries do about this service.


          Lisa LaLonde
          Coordinator of Reserve Services
          Wallace Library
          Rochester Institute of Technology
          Rochester, NY
          LBLWML@ritvax (bitnet)
          LBLWML@ritvax.isc.rit.edu (internet)
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