Users Expectations for ILL requesting of
Textbooks, results of two surveys
Kurt Munson,
Northwestern University Library
October 22, 2015
Starting Points
• With unmediated borrowing, you can’t stop users from
requesting certain types of materials.
• If those users can place those requests, it’s best to
understand their motivation and figure out the best way
to meet their expectations.
• Manage expectations rather than control.
• A quarter systems requires students purchase 33% more
textbooks or other course materials.
The Survey
Results or what motivates the
patrons
Why did you request a textbook on ILL? % Important or Very
Important
Out of stock at bookstore
18.8
Only recommended
33.9
Required immediately
56.8
Previous ILL success
78.25
Too Expensive
93.95
Required for coursework
95.5
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Alternate addition OK?
Different Edition OK? %
13
No
Recent
33
52
Yes
Will patrons accept an alternate
addition? ILLiad Data says:
Different Edition OK? %
13
No
Recent
33
52
Yes
86% of the respondents
unchecked the Accept
Alternate Edition box in
ILLiad. Doh!
How long do they expect to keep a
book? Can they?
Expected Loan Period by %
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
75%
30%
20%
10%
6%
18%
0%
4 weeks
7-8 weeks
12 weeks
I think the 12 week loan period
in UBorrow is influencing
patron expectations.
Do they get the loan period they
want?
16% have a loan of 12 weeks or longer
45% had a loan period between 7 and 12 weeks
22% had a loan period between 4 and 7 weeks
17% had a loan period less than 4 weeks
Expected Loan Period by %
80%
70%
60%
6%
50%
18%
40%
75%
30%
75%
20%
10%
6%
18%
0%
4 weeks
7-8 weeks
12 weeks
Delivery Speed Expectations %
70
60
50
40
Delivery speed meets their
needs.
30
59
20
29
10
10
1
0
1 to 2 Days
3 to 6 Days
1 to 2 Weeks
Over 2 weeks
The $64,000 question
How many Textbook requests actually were filled?
62% of the request were filled (All ILL is 87%)
56% for Introduction to …. 10 ed. textbooks
82% for other required readings
Two surveys done in two different years had
remarkably consistent results both in patrons
expectations and in our ability to provide items.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/hobsons-ccinfo-prod/admit/uploads/2010/12/pt1490.jpg
What did we learn?
Even if ILL is not the best way for students to acquire
their textbooks, it works well enough for them that
they continue to use it. It meets their expectations.
Recognizing how important this service is to undergraduates,
we made the following changes to our processes:
• distribute a list of textbooks we cannot order to the service
desks at the beginning of each quarter.
• take more latitude with editions when ordering.
• have a special cancelation email for textbooks.
Questions?
Kurt Munson
kmunson@northwestern.edu
@KurtMunson