Return-Path: <Patty=Porcaro%LIBRARY%UMASS@BANYAN.UMMED.EDU>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.medlib-l
Date:         Tue, 1 Sep 1992 07:13:07 EDT
From:         Patty=Porcaro%LIBRARY%UMASS@BANYAN.UMMED.EDU
Subject:      Re: Loansome Doc

There has not been much activity on the list--so decided to answer
M. Zeller's question about LD activity over the list.  Besides,
I have had trouble sending messages--so this will be a test....


Hello from the Northeast:

You are correct, of course!  Many libraries were less than enthusiastic
about participating in the Loansome Doc outreach project of NLM.
Understandably, many small hospital libraries were concerned
about overload, staff time, effect on consortium agreements, etc.
As you probably know, the GRATEFUL MED Train-the-Trainor program
was not very popular when first introduced and LD fell shortly on
its heels.

Despite these grumblings, we, at the University of Massachusetts
Medical Center, rather readily embraced Loansome Doc.  This is
probably because we already had the mechanisms in place to serve
a broad and diverse community through our active Interlibrary
Loan Dept.  We charge private and out-of-state institutions a
flat rate of $6.00 per item to fill from our own collection--
this is the same for Loansome Docs (affiliated or unaffiliated.)
We have a mediated service already in place which aids institutions
without a library to locate or retrieve items not found in our
collection.  The charge is $13.50 and is the same for Loansome
Docs if the GM user chooses to have it referred through the
system.  We use the QUICKDOC billing system for all our ILLs
including the individual LD users.  One of the major problems
is that QUICKDOC has not yet been upgraded for Loansome Doc--
forcing us to duplicate efforts--read and answer on DOCLINE
and QUICKDOC.  Jay Daly says that the update is coming soon.

Now to answer your specific questions:

(1)  Yes, we are a Resource Library--We became one when the
     Northeast was split into 2 regions and UConn received
     the contract for Region 8 (May 1991.)

(2)  We have approximately 17 official LD users--certainly not
     an overload.  The Northeast was one of the last to come
     up and speculation raged.

(3)  Activity is sporadic--but we average around 30 requests
     per month.

(4)  We have very few restrictions as already indicated--
     we do not even require a deposit account--as many do--
     including the RML.  Having attended exhibits to aid
     the NNLM with GRATEFUL MED displays, many physicians
     object to almost any fee whether its the standard $8
     charge or $6.00.  In other words, from their perspective,
     the fee is restrictive.

(5)  My feeling is that much of the hoopla has dissipated
     because what was anticipated didn't happen--however,
     it might have been avoided if the NLM learned to
     communicate more effectively.  My personal feeling
     is to take a positive attitude towards a train that
     is running rather than take a chance and get run over.

Sincerely,

Patty Porcaro, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator/Reference Librarian
University of Massachusetts Medical Center Library, Worcester, MA  01655
pp%library%umass@banyan.ummed.edu
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU