Planning Document Access: Options and Opportunities

Citation

Hodes, J. (2000), "Planning Document Access: Options and Opportunities", Online Information Review, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 454-455. https://doi.org/10.1108/oir.2000.24.6.454.2

This monograph is based on the findings of the four‐year FIDDO (focused investigation of document delivery options) project, a study within the Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib) in the UK <www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/dis/fiddo/fiddo.html>. A research team based at Loughborough University made a detailed study of the options, methods and management of document delivery within the academic library context. The principal aim was to disseminate objective and reliable data on which the library and information community can make informed decisions about the ability of electronic and other document delivery services to provide material economically and on time. The FIDDO team worked with a range of library managers and end‐users in order to develop an understanding of the issues involved, including options, methods and management of document delivery as well as to provide appropriate recommendations.

This publication, written by the FIDDO project team, aims to provide a comprehensive account of the project and its wider applicability to the academic library environment that is experiencing an increased demand for document delivery solutions thanks to the growth of published and electronic materials whose purchase is limited by budget constraints. The surging enrolments of distance education and remote students, along with the introduction of new technologies and heightened user expectations across the board, are also fuelling the push for the utilisation of effective document delivery services.

The first two chapters discuss the FIDDO project, followed by three chapters devoted to an academic researcher’s needs and the project’s ability to meet them. Six chapters investigate library issues, including administrative, budgetary and management concerns, copyright and applicability to other library types. The publication is rounded off by a comprehensive bibliography, glossary and index, a detailed list of document delivery suppliers and the services they offer, as well as a discussion of the research methodology used in the project and a sample of the survey instrument. Recommendations are offered as guidelines and key points for library managers in chapter nine and Appendix D.

The book is fairly technical and unavoidably dry in parts, but for all that it covers a topic that, while complex, is increasingly important due to the radical transformation of document access as a result of information technology and the pressure to use resources more effectively. This would be a useful purchase for educational libraries and institutions which are involved in document delivery and are interested in ongoing developments and comparative practice in this field.