Introduction
Academic libraries were disrupted significantly during the Covid 19 pandemic, with every aspect of operations affected. Even before the pandemic, libraries had attempted to set up controlled digital lending or similar scan on demand services for select physical collections (Ashoughian, 2021; Clough, 2020). During the pandemic, the justifications for these services, both in legal and public interest terms, were strengthened “to allow for continued progress of the arts and sciences while physical library holdings are broadly inaccessible” (Clough, 2020). Whether to continue these collection services refined in response to the pandemic into the post-pandemic era is likely an issue of debate at many academic libraries. This environmental scan was used to help decide if Scan on Demand should continue and determine required resourcing based on the types of services provided at other similar (CARL and ARL) institutions.
Institutions scanned & Service prevalence
Selected Findings
Fund usage
- 75% of libraries offer scans of journal articles and books or journal articles and books and other print materials.
- 19% extend coverage to include scans from microforms (U of Guelph, U of New Mexico, and Syracuse U).
- U of Manitoba also allows users to request scans of a book’s table of contents
- only U of Regina further extends coverage to AV materials
- some schools include clear statements on their webpages that fragile, specialized, or valuable materials are off-limits. Two libraries, Auburn U and UBC, exclude all materials from Rare Books and Special Collections.
- textbooks and required readings or materials in the Course Reserve collection are excluded at some libraries.
User groups served
Method of placing requests & receiving scans
Turnaround times & request caps
Some libraries aim to keep the number of requests coming in manageable by limiting users to a certain number of requests. Carleton U caps at 10 per day, UBC at 10 per week, and Auburn U has no cap per se but limits users to the receipt of 5 a day until all the requests that day have been processed.
References
Ashoughian, G. (2021). COVID-19: The Laurier Library on Demand. Consensus, 42(2), 12.
Clough, R. (2020, April 1). Digitization in an Emergency: Fair Use/Fair Dealing and How Libraries Are Adapting to the Pandemic. Association of Research Libraries. https://www.arl.org/blog/digitization-in-an-emergency-fair-use-fair-dealing-and-how-libraries-are-adapting-to-the-pandemic/
Queen’s University Library. (2021). COVID-19 Updates on Library Services & Operations. https://library.queensu.ca/help-services/covid-19-updates-library-services-operations#scanning-service
UBC Library. (2021). Materials Pick-Up Service. https://services.library.ubc.ca/borrowing-services/get-it/#About-0
Feedback
"The project met all expectations and provided me with the details, and also a higher general overview as well, of all the data I needed. The report part of it was well done and is easily digestible at a glance due to the judicious use of charts and graphics and text. With regards to this project, I cannot really see that there were any areas for improvement on Janet's part, as everything was done to, or exceeding, expectations." - University Copyright Officer and Head, InterLibrary Loans
Related Activity: Open Access Funds: environmental scan