Unnecessary Requests: Examining Patrons’ Reliance on Interlibrary Loan for Electronically Owned Items at an Academic Library |
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| Authors: | Troy W Espe Rebecca M Wisniewski |
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| Institution: | 1. Interlibrary Loan, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, USAtespe@uwsp.edu;3. Interlibrary Loan, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, USA |
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| Abstract: | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Library analyzed 4,567 interlibrary loan borrowing requests for articles and other non-returnables. From 2017–2018, nearly 44% of requests were for items that the library owned electronically. Patrons could have accessed the full-text immediately but submitted interlibrary loan requests instead. This prevalence raises questions about user behavior and deficiencies in discovery tools. |
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| Keywords: | Academic libraries discovery document delivery graduate students interlibrary loan open access usability user behavior |
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