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NATIONAL NETWORK OF LIBRARIES OF MEDICINE
DOCUMENT DELIVERY PLAN

Goal 

The goal of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) Document Delivery Plan is to provide health professionals with timely access to information in the nation's health science library collections and to assist other libraries in improving the public's access to health information.

Objectives for the Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs)

The Document Delivery Plan is implemented by the RMLs under the guidance of the National Library of Medicine, and with the participation of NN/LM member libraries.  In carrying out this Plan, objectives for the RMLs are to:

  1. Obtain the support of major health sciences libraries in promotion, training, and communication about document delivery issues to all libraries in the NN/LM.
  2. Coordinate the contribution, review, and maintenance of serial holdings data to the DOCLINE/SERHOLD database in a manner that is timely, efficient and accurate.
  3. Provide standardized policies and procedures to ensure appropriate regional consistency within the NN/LM.
  4. Promote and facilitate the use of technologies to enable document delivery via the Internet. 
  5. Assist the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in testing and implementing new technologies for document delivery.
  6. Assist NLM in communicating with and training network libraries.
  7. Assist libraries serving the general public to obtain health information from network libraries.

OVERVIEW of DOCLINE and its Components
SERHOLD, DOCUSER, and Loansome Doc

DOCLINE is the National Library of Medicine's automated interlibrary loan request and referral system. Its purpose is to provide document delivery service to health professionals by rapidly routing interlibrary loan requests among libraries in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.  With the release of the web-based version of DOCLINE in early 2000, the system incorporates three formerly separate components: DOCUSER, SERHOLD and ILL Borrowing and Lending.

DOCLINE Requests:  The REQUEST function of DOCLINE allows users to borrow using PubMed or NLM's catalog LOCATORplus.  Other functions under REQUESTS include Lend (fill the request or update as not filled), Receipt (print pending requests), Status (view status of requests entered), and Cancel (cancel a request no longer needed).

DOCUSER  contains directory, interlibrary loan, and network information on libraries throughout the world. It is the administrative file for NLM's interlibrary loan service and the official database of the libraries that make up the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM).

DOCUSER contains the institutional name and address records for libraries and other information related organizations. Additionally, DOCUSER provides interlibrary loan policy data and SERHOLD (journal holdings) information, including the reporting level and the source of the holdings data.

A DOCUSER record represents the description of one library. If an institution or organization has several libraries, each will have a separate DOCUSER record. Every record in DOCUSER contains a LIBID, LIBrary IDentifier. The LIBID is the unique identifier of the institution in DOCUSER, DOCLINE, SERHOLD, and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

SERHOLD is the database of holdings for biomedical serial titles held in U. S. libraries. Each of the eight Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs) in the NN/LM has general oversight for the updates to SERHOLD for its region. Canadian libraries also have holdings in SERHOLD as there is significant reciprocal borrowing between U.S. and Canadian libraries. The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI) coordinates SERHOLD updates for Canada. The SERHOLD module of the DOCLINE system is available to DOCLINE libraries and each may add, update, or delete their own holdings.

Loansome Doc is a feature of PubMed enabling users to order documents found in MEDLINE. It is available worldwide.  All PubMed users ordering full-text documents must identify a DOCLINE library (Ordering Library) that is willing to serve them. The health professional performs a PubMed search, reviews the citations retrieved, and identifies specific documents to be ordered. PubMed sends the order to the DOCLINE library. The NLM server manages all document-ordering activities.

Participating in the NN/LM Document Delivery Plan

The following outlines the process by which network member libraries are expected to participate in document delivery activities within the NN/LM.

Reporting holdings to SERHOLD

Libraries are encouraged to input and maintain holdings by direct online input, since the data immediately becomes available for DOCLINE routing.  NLM also provides global batch updating (i.e., a library's holdings in SERHOLD will be deleted and replaced) in OCLC MARC and USMARC format.  Global updating will be accepted only for:

  1. Current batch update libraries that are not able to switch to online updating;
  2. New members of a library group that contributes batch data;
  3. Initial input from new SERHOLD libraries with a significant number of holdings.

Document Delivery Service

All member libraries in the network are expected to use DOCLINE to request and provide interlibrary loan service.  They are expected to process requests from other institutions to the extent they are able.  Health professionals have access to the ILL services of the network by working with the network library with which they are affiliated.  Non-affiliated health professionals will be "connected" (assigned) to a network member health science library by the RML, or will be served by the RML directly.

Network members should also offer Loansome Doc service to their own users and/or unaffiliated users.

Affiliate members of the network may participate in the DOCLINE system by forming a collaborative relationship with a full member.

ILL/Document Delivery Charges

NLM establishes a standard maximum charge for requests filled for network member libraries via DOCLINE by Resource Libraries (RLs), RMLs and NLM.1 This charge was originally set using data supplied by the RMLs and RLs, and is adjusted according to the annual Consumer Price Index.  These charges are reviewed biennially.  The established charge should enable the libraries to recover direct costs incurred and provide the service at the lower practicable cost to the user.  An institution which fills the request may choose not to pass on the entire charge to the user.

Fulfillment Standards

The measure of fulfillment (fill rate) is calculated by dividing the number of received requests into the number of filled requests. An acceptable level of performance for an RML or RL shall be a 75% fill rate, not including requests unfilled due to COST. Network standards require that processing 85% of filled loans be completed within three business days. DOCLINE report 2-14 provides information on fill rate for each RML and RL. This report is produced by NLM and sent to the RMLs and RLs on a quarterly basis.

Responsibilities of the NLM and NN/LM libraries

Libraries in the United States with collections in the health sciences may be included in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM). Network membership is fully described in the Network Membership document.  As members of the NN/LM, libraries accept the goals and objectives of the NN/LM Document Delivery Plan. The National Library of Medicine coordinates the program. 

To achieve the goals and objectives of the Document Delivery Plan

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) will:

  1. Develop, maintain and administer the DOCLINE system, including all components DOCUSER, SERHOLD, and the Request system.
  2. Maintain LOCATORplus, PubMed, and the LoansomeDoc ordering facility.
  3. Maintain current documentation on NLM's website.
  4. Operate a document delivery listserv for communication from NLM and among network libraries.
  5. Interface the DOCLINE system with other large interlibrary loan networks.
  6. Provide interlibrary loan service to augment regional resources.
  7. Provide administrative support to Network libraries.
  8. Provide management data from DOCLINE to enable network libraries to monitor network and individual library performance.
  9. Provide mechanisms for libraries to produce custom reports directly from the DOCLINE report-writer system.

Regional Medical Libraries (RML) will:

  1. Appoint regional SERHOLD and DOCLINE Coordinators to coordinate regional activities. Coordinators must monitor the NLM website and listserv, and regularly attend DOCLINE and SERHOLD meetings at MLA and regional meetings;
  2. Maintain its institution's holdings data in SERHOLD and update them at least annually.  All holdings must be in Level 3 format;
  3. Encourage libraries to add their holdings to SERHOLD and to become DOCLINE participants.  Target libraries may include non-medical institutions with significant health sciences collections;
  4. Provide to all DOCLINE and SERHOLD libraries in the region support and guidance via telephone, email and listservs, resolving both technical and administrative problems if possible, and referring to NLM when necessary;
  5. Provide training if needed to Resource Libraries (RLs) and Primary Access Libraries (PALs) in all components of DOCLINE, and in the efficient and effective use of the DOCLINE system and LoansomeDoc, including using LOCATORPlus and PubMed;
  6. Answer questions from libraries in the region, referring to NLM only questions which cannot be answered by the Regional DOCLINE and SERHOLD Coordinators within the RML;
  7. Coordinate the contribution, review, and maintenance of regional serial holdings data to SERHOLD.  Encourage use of online updating for all libraries, with a goal of eliminating batch updates by the end of the contract period;
  8. Handle administrative matters, such as assigning and modifying update rights for SERHOLD coordinators;
  9. Promote the use of the Internet as the preferred delivery method for document delivery;
  10. Provide LoansomeDoc service to health professionals who are not directly served by a network library;
  11. Assist public libraries and other non-health sciences libraries to link to network libraries to obtain materials on behalf of the general public;
  12. Generate and distribute, on a cost recovery basis, any serial holdings products which the RML deems necessary.

Libraries with strong collections are selected by the RML to serve as Resource Libraries to assist in accomplishing the goals of the NN/LM.

A Resource Library (RL) will:

  1. Participate in DOCLINE and should participate in LoansomeDoc, providing interlibrary lending service to libraries in the region, including referrals.  ILL charges will not exceed the network maximum;
  2. Contribute and maintain its institution's holdings data in SERHOLD at least annually.  All holdings must be in Level 3 format;
  3. Create and maintain an accurate record for their institution in DOCUSER and maintain a routing table that reflects ILL borrowing patterns and is consistent with regional ILL policies;
  4. Assist NLM and the RML in linking non-health science libraries in the region with libraries in the Network to improve the general public's access to health information;
  5. Assist NLM and the RML in encouraging libraries to deliver documents electronically;
  6. Promote the DOCLINE system as the system of choice for interlibrary loan.  
  7. Assist NLM and the RML in testing new technologies to improve access to health science collections.

Primary Access Libraries (PALS) which includes hospital libraries and all other network member libraries, generally represent the health professional's first point of access into the network.  These libraries are encouraged to develop adequate resources to respond to their users' basic information needs and to cooperate with other local libraries to share resources among themselves before sending requests to Resource Libraries.

A Member Primary Access Library (PAL) will:

  1. Participate in DOCLINE
  2. Participate in Loansome Doc, if possible;
  3. Contribute and maintain its institution's holdings data in SERHOLD at least annually.  All holdings must be in Level 3 format;
  4. Create and maintain an accurate record for their institution in DOCUSER and create and maintain an appropriate routing table in DOCLINE. 

1The current network maximum charge is $11.00. Back

[This document is part of the official 2001 -2006 NN/LM contract.]


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