Faxon Finder/Faxon Xpress: report from a beta test site.
In this environment of expanding information needs, spiraling journal costs, and curtailed financial resources, medical libraries must take advantage of the rapid evolution in document delivery services. There are exciting developments in transmission technology, from fax machines to scanners to the Internet. There is also a notable shift away from the traditional reliance on library networks toward use of commercial vendors as document providers. These changes require reevaluation of interlibrary loan (ILL) and document delivery systems on many levels, including pricing structures, work flow, and impact on collection development. As commercial vendors develop increasingly effective products, librarians can test, evaluate, and incorporate them into their ILL operations to enhance service to users and relieve the pressure to acquire new resources; in this way, librarians can move from the "just in case" practice of building an on-site collection to the "just in time" model of providing timely delivery of materials to users as needed. This paper describes a beta test of the Faxon Finder/Faxon Xpress table of contents and document delivery services conducted by the Treadwell Library of the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Borsman
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Access Services, Treadwell Library, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
D016206:Databases, Bibliographic; D007255:Information Services; D007379:Interlibrary Loans; D008404:Massachusetts; D012984:Software; D016636:Telefacsimile