We're examining software products, such as MDL's LitLink, which links citations to their full-text equivalents on publisher's Web sites. At that point, our researchers would, in effect, send clients a virtual stack of full-text documents rather than a list of citations that would require additional work to obtain the full text. This number has steadily increased each year since its introduction. These include large, exhaustive searches containing hundreds of citations used to support FDA filings, searches used to respond to outside requests for information by medical doctors working with our marketed products, and searches for scientists preparing scientific publications. The ability to scan through large numbers of citations and rapidly order those of interest from the Library makes it an ideal format for lengthy searches that will eventually result in large numbers of requests for photocopies.
Patrons comment on a number of advantages to getting online search results through the new program.
Most often mentioned is the ease of ordering online documents. Also mentioned were the ease of reading, the ability to scan a list of titles, and the ability to quickly navigate through a set of records. Ease of opening was another advantage since opening a Word document with different versions of Word on different platforms can create formatting problems. We weren't overly concerned about uncontrolled usage since the Library charges back the cost of article orders to the requestor's cost center. What we found, though, was that there was a significant increase in document orders in 1998, the first full year the system was introduced.