CFP: Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery, and E-reserves (Common Practices)
The Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery, and E-reserves (a peer reviewed journal) is seeking articles for a special issue on common practices (not best practices). This special issue would revolve around the following how handles copyright, how are distance education issues handled, etc.
We are extremely interested in collecting statistics from a wide range of libraries: colleges of less than 5,000 students, colleges with FTE of 5,000-10,000, colleges of FTE of 10,000+. We're not interested in value judgments, but in what libraries actually do. If we receive enough volunteers to send out surveys and compile the results, this special issue may also be published as a monograph. Here is some specific information about the special issue from the Journal's editor, Leslie Morris:
Common Practices: Not Best Practices
By
Leslie R. Morris
Lately, there have been many articles about best practices in various library operations. The study and compilation of best practices are very helpful in streamlining and modernizing operations. One example of a best practice in interlibrary loan is: because labor makes up 70% of interlibrary loan costs, reduce the labor costs in favor of hardware or software costs.
However, many times we do not need to know the best practice, but only the common practice. For example, our interlibrary loan costs are skyrocketing. What are other libraries of out type and size doing about it?
Common practice:
25% of medium sized academic libraries never charge faculty departments for interlibrary loans. 50% of medium sized academic libraries charge faculty departments for interlibrary loans over $10.00.
25% of medium sized academic libraries charge faculty departments for interlibrary loans over $25.00.
Although this is an imaginary common practice, it is illustrative of the kind of data we need to make decisions and to justify those decisions to administrators and patrons. It is much easier to start charging departments if you can point out the about the common practices of other libraries of your type.
If you are at East Stroudsburg State College, you need to know the practices of other state colleges. The common practices of the Association of Research libraries are of little help.
The same is true if you are at Princeton. What East Stroudsburg does is of little relevance. Pointing out to a dean at Princeton that you want to justify your policy based on the common practice at Harvard, might be OK, but not East Stroudsburg State.
Problems and Opportunities
The opportunities for articles that contain common practice data are:
-The articles are relatively easy to write.
-Many journals will publish them.
-They do not require advanced statistics.
-They are useful.
-New online data collection methods, like Zoomerang, and Email are much easier and cheaper than postage and paper forms.
-The data collection companies supply most needed statistics and graphs.
-The problems for articles that contain common practice data are:
-The sample surveyed must be carefully constructed.
-Members of the sample must be chased until the percentage of respondents is satisfactory.
-Confidentiality must be controlled.
-Creativity is needed.
We could use Common Practice data for areas of various areas of circulation, overdue fines, reference, interlibrary loan, document delivery, noise control, cell phone use, hours of operation, and other areas.
Common Practice data is needed for public libraries divided by the size of the service area.
Common Practice data is needed for academic libraries by type, Carnegie classifications and size within the classifications.
All of you budding authors who cannot think of a topic to research, here is the first one: What are the circulation periods and fines for community colleges in the North Central U.S.?
Interested authors should submit a brief (1 - 2 paragraphs) description of their topic to me atjpoe@jsu.edu by Friday, October 28, 2005. We would like to have the completed manuscripts by January 1, 2006. Final submissions need to be at least five pages in length but no more than fifty, double spaced. Papers are welcome. For more instructions for the authors please go to http://www.lesmorris.com/JILIS%20Page.htm. To learn more about the journal, please go to http://www.haworthpress.com/web/JILDD/.
Thanks!
Jodi Poe
Assistant Professor, Distance Education/Electronic Resources Manager
Houston Cole Library
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, AL 36265-1602
jpoe@jsu.edu
