RESPOND: plugging AMICAL's international American universities into WorldCat

ISSN： 0264-1615

Source： Interlending & Document Supply, Vol.37, Iss.2, 2009-05, pp. : 68-75

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Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to substantially update a presentation made at the 2007 IFLA Conference. It intends to describe the RESPOND project, a partnership between OCLC and the AMICAL consortium to enhance library resource discovery, and to report on initial outcomes. Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes the background for RESPOND, its key features and interesting challenges, and some of its expected direct and indirect benefits for the discovery and sharing of resources at AMICAL libraries. Preliminary statistics for group library holdings in WorldCat and OCLC ILL system use are examined. Findings - The time required for implementation and adoption of services was greater, and effective training more difficult to organize, than expected. Resource-sharing performance improvements still need to be measured, and many libraries are just starting to implement the project's services, but cooperation appears to be increasing between consortium members. The potential benefits for resource discovery and delivery remain great, and interest and participation in the project have spread to include nearly all AMICAL consortium members. Originality/value - AMICAL is an atypical consortium because of its geographically dispersed and highly international membership, but the challenges and results described here may be relevant to other efforts at international resource sharing and cooperation.