From: lib1p@jane.uh.edu (Tammy Stark Blandino)
Newsgroups: soc.roots
Subject: Re: What's MELVYL? [was: wow! (Re: FirstSearch)]
Date: 24 Dec 1992 11:33 CST
Organization: University of Houston
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: jane.uh.edu
Keywords: MELVYL, Libraries
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <1992Dec23.182229.15820@compu.com>, fr@compu.com (Fred Rump from home) writes...
>mfc@medoc.aux.apple.com (Matt Caprile) writes:
> 
>>    As of 12/22/92, approximately 7,046,741 titles representing
>>    13,687,500 holdings for materials in the University of
>>    California libraries and the California State Library.
> 

If anyone is interested, I've got the FTP address to get a document which gives
telnet adresses and intructions for OPAC's (online public access catalogs) from
all over the US and Britain, plus some other european countries (and Australia).

I'll post it after the holidays.


>And all of them strictly for CA residents. My ILL loan person just called me 
>and we had a nice chat as to why I'm getting so little material from Tom 
>Lincoln's MELVYL lists. 
> 
>It seems that CA will not send books out of state. This also explains that 
>what I've received has always come from other states here on the east coast.
> 

That's not true.  I am an ILL person in Texas and we get material from 
California.  The problem is that California charges such outrageous fees
for loaning materials out of state.  Most ILL offices cannot afford to
pay these kinds of fees.  CA mandates that CA libraries get loans for free, 
but out of state libraries get charged $20.00 per book loan!
As a result we use CA as a last resort.


>Apparently this has nothing to do with cost as I offered to pay. They just 
>won't do it. It's part of whatever logic they use over there to keep 
>information to themselves.
> 

It may be that your ILL office can't accept payment.  I know we don't.  Are
you using a public library or a universty library?  Also remember that MOST
genealogical materials do not circulate (you can't check them out).  As a 
result it is very difficult to get these materials.

In the future you may ask for a photocopy of the table of contents or index.
From these pages you can deterimine (sometimes) what you want.  Copyright law
allows you to photocopy up to 1 chapter from a book.

Another option is to join AGLL, American Genealogical Lending Library, or your
ILL office could join (like we did).  

>But all is not lost. She will see what can be found in the rest of the US 
>where folks may be more cooperative.
> 
>While on the subject - I asked to get some clarification of policy etc. Our 
>local county library system will first search where there is no cost to borrow 
>books. That is with libraries that help each other and pick up the cost of 
>shipping on a mutual 'I pay for yours, you pay for mine' type philosophy.
> 

Yes, reciprocal agreements....aren't they wonderful!


>Then the search goes to libraries that only charge for shipping. The county 
>picks up this cost for it's library clients.
> 

If you are using a county library that's probably why you don't get anything 
from CA.  Most public ILL offices are funded by grants from the State libraries.
As a result they have a very limited budget to work with.



>Next, the client is called, if there is a charge beyond shipping, he/she 
>may opt to pay such an amount. The typical fee is between $10 and $15 
>dollars. 
> 

Oh.

>In general, I seemed to sense that Academic libraries always charge the public 
>libraries mainly because the universities have much more to offer and the 
>exchange would be going in one way too much.
> 

University of Houston doesn't charge for loans to anyone in our consortium or
the access group  (HARLiC and Amigos repectively).  We are lucky enough to have
a director whose whole focus is accessibilty to information.  You have to loan
in order to get others to loan to you.

>Anyway, I'm satisfied that MY library tries hard to get what it can but there 
>seem to be many roadblocks thrown up by others who have the goods.
> 

This has come about because of money problems.  In most libraries, ILL is 
treated as a minor concern, almost like a stepchild.  They are underfunded and
understaffed.  And if they have one OCLC terminal to themselves they are lucky.

As a result, libraries are raising their fees more and more.  What they don't
realize is that they are cutting off their nose to spite their face.

Tammy the ILL person


>Fred 
>-- 
>W. Fred Rump 	office:	   fred@COMPU.COM     'mans feet have grown/so big 
>26 Warren St.   home: fred@icdi10.compu.com  that he/forgets his littleness'
>Beverly, NJ. 08010                          		Don Marquis 
>609-386-6846    bang:uunet!cdin-1!icdi10!fr   
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