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Documents delivery services in India
By
Bhupendra U. Bansod
Librarian, PVDT College of Education, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai.
Ajay M. Kamble
Librarian, Annasaheb Vartak College Arts, Kedarnath Malhotra College of Commerce,
ES Andrades College of Science, Vasai Road (West), Dist. Thane.
ABSTRACT
The increasing advancements in storage media, computers and telecommunications have forced
library and information centers to access information more and more in different formats, styles
and sizes. Document delivery has always been heart of the services offered by libraries,
publishers and other organizations to their users. Recently, there is tremendous development in
electronic document delivery services. This paper discusses the various constraints and present
status of document delivery services in India.
Introduction:
Library is an important asset for any academic institution. The library identifies, evaluates,
procures, processes and makes these learning resources available to the faculty and students for
their teaching, learning and research assignments. That’s why, Dr. S. R. Ranganathan, has
famously said that the Library is the trinity of Learning Resources, Faculty/Students and the
Library Staff. Libraries are supporting to teaching and learning programs by providing the proper
information from their in-house collections. While for other information or documents they
ought to depend upon external document delivery systems.
Libraries can utilise inter-library loan facility for sharing the documents. Due to the emergence
of electronic publishing era, the libraries started sharing their resources by transmitting digital
images of the print documents or sending electronic files of digital documents over the Internet.
In the literature, the terms ‘inter-library loan’ and ‘document delivery’ are used interchangeably.
However, the two terminologies have specific and different connotations though they serve to
meet the same end purpose. In inter-library loan, you can borrow only holdings of the library
such as books, journals, reports, standards, etc., from one library to another but for a limited
period only. You need to return such documents to the lending library after the expiry of loan
period. In inter-library loan, you never get documents for permanent retention. On the other
hand, in document delivery, the end-user gets copies of the documents such as photocopies/
electronic images/ fax images/ electronic files for permanent retention.
Document Delivery Service in library
Document delivery is an essential service in a library and information centre. It involves many
components like request for document, document types, document sources and functions or
processes which again include functions like document selection, request procedure, document
retrieval and document transfer. In case of electronic documents, delivery of documents takes
place in digitized form. Both print and electronic document deliveries are very important and
there are some agencies that deliver both types of document. It is a complex process involving
user, supplier and time. Document delivery can involve authors, publishers, subscription agents,
document delivery service providers, suppliers, libraries and information professionals.
Electronic document delivery has gathered significant attention in recent years. Through
electronic document delivery, one library can access journals and other research publications
adequately for their users and thereby can reduce funds for document purchasing, which can be
utilized for other purposes of the library.
The Library is committed to provide DDS to the institutions and scholars. The objective of this
service is to provide the photocopies of the papers (documents) from journals, conference
proceedings and other research materials available in the Library at the nominal cost. The service
is provided for assisting the organizations and scholars to pursue their academic and research
interests. DDS can be availed by research scholars, faculty, staff and students. The users are
required to send the complete bibliographical details of the articles required with complete postal
address including e-mail address so that the requested material can be sent using e-mail facility
for immediate delivery. The Library observes the copyright provisions while providing the
services to the users.
Need of document delivery services:
No library today can hold every item required to meet the needs of its users under the crisis faced
due to resource crunch. Hence, sharing of resources using computer networks has become a
necessity. Each user doesn’t require the whole book, instead of that he required just few pages
which are essential to his research work. Therefore users prefer DDS service, because it is very
quicker than ILL service and low cost. The required documents are from other libraries or direct
from publishers. The user is usually paid the fees for postage and photocopy charge.
Modes of Document Delivery Service
Document delivery means supplying documents (copies in print or digital format) are delivered
through mail/ courier or other way. Document delivery to end users implies three types of
operations:
i) Document identification,
ii) Document location, and
iii) Document procurement.
Document identification requires the bibliographical details of the documents such as author,
article title, source, volume, and pages correctly in a given format. User can verify such details
by searching the web or the relevant databases.
Document location implies identifying the library holdings the documents under reference. User
may search by using union catalogues available from library networks.
Document procurement implies writing to the relevant libraries service providers for delivery
documents. There are several modes of document procurement.
_ Requesting documents from the holdings library/ library networks
_ Requesting documents from document delivery service providers
_ Searching the Web for digital copies of the documents for free access
Document Delivery Service providers in India.
There are several document service providers in India and abroad. Their role is to provide copies
of documents by the mode of photocopy, fax image, digital image, or duplicate electronic file.
The delivery options are post-mail, courier, fax, or any other way. These systems compete with
each other in terms of speed of service and nature of resources.
INLIBNET has initiated interlibrary loans and document delivery services from the
comprehensive collection of subscribed journals under jccc@ugc-infonet. INFLIBNET has
designated Six university libraries which are well known for their strong collection base to fulfill
request from the users. All libraries together subscribe for 2000 plus journals for DDS purpose.
Universities can request for articles from the journal holdings of those libraries wherever they
find useful articles in JCCC search, that are not available in that library.
1. Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim,
Tripura Uttar Pradesh, & Uttaranchal.
2. University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal
3. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, Tamilnadu
4. Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan
5. Punjab University, Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab
6. Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai
Diu and Daman, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra
Under this service, the above mentioned six university libraries will serve as Document Delivery
Centres and deliver on demand, the copies of papers from learned journals, conference
proceedings and other materials available in their collection at nominal cost. This service is
provided on No Profit - No Loss Basis and Expected to be prompt. The role of INFLIBNET here
is mainly to act as a catalyst in promoting this service to the academic and research community
in India. The INFLIBNET provide facilities to each Centre for efficient document delivery
service and the grants of Rs. 2.85 Lakh to establish Document Delivery Centre. It includes one
Photocopy Machine, One Computer System with internet connectivity, One Desk laser colour
printer, One Scanner, Aerial Software for scanning and transmission of documents. They also
provide one staff on fixed salary basis.
The request for the document with complete bibliographical details can be made using any of the
following options.
•Email
•Normal letter by post
•Fax
•Telephone (in case of urgency)
•Requests in person
The requesting library has to make use of the specific forms designed for availing the service.
The requesting library/individual has to follow the copyright regulations and therefore has to
give an undertaking in the request itself that the "requested material will be used only for
academic and research purpose and not for any commercial gains".
Delivery of Documents
Requested materials will be delivered using any one of the following options depending on your
need and payment.
•Electronic delivery using email.
•Fax
•Speed post / courier
•Normal post
•By hand, if the user personally visits the DDC.
DELIVERY TIME:
Each Document Delivery Centre practices their best effort to deliver the requested materials as
early as possible. However, the schedule adhered by one of the DDC is as follows :
1) For rush/urgent orders (by fax/speed post) within 48 hours from the time of receipt of orders.
2) In case of routine requests, within maximum five days from the date of receipt of request.
In case the requested material is not available, suitable response will be sent by the concerned
Document Delivery Centre within 24 hours and the same conveyed to the library member by the
Documentation Section of Central Library.
Charges:
The fee for the service is charged depending on the type of members and mode of delivery.
Following fee in general is charged by all the Six Document Delivery Centres.
For INFLIBNET Member Libraries
•Electronic Document Delivery using Internet options: Rs. 5.00 up to 5 pages or part
thereof and Rs.5.00 for subsequent 5 pages or part thereof.
•Photocopy: Rs. 10.00 up to 5 pages or part thereof and Rs.10.00 for every subsequent 5
pages or part thereof.
•Fax/Courier/Speed Post: Rate charged for photocopy plus actual charges of
Fax/Courier/Speed Post
For Non-Member Libraries:
•Electronic Document Delivery using Internet options: Rs. 7.50 up to 5 pages or part
thereof and Rs.7.50 for subsequent 5 pages or part thereof.
•Photocopy: Rs. 15.00 up to 5 pages or part thereof and Rs.15.00 for every subsequent 5
pages or part thereof.
•Fax/Courier/Speed Post :Rate charged for photocopy plus actual charges of Fax / Courier/
Speed Post
Commercial Organizations:
•Rs. 10.00 up to 5 pages and Rs.10.00 for every subsequent 5 pages for Electronic DDS.
•Rs. 20.00 up to 5 pages and Rs.20.00 for every subsequent 5 pages for photocopy.
•Rate charged for photocopy plus actual charges of Fax/Courier/Speed Post
All non-members, commercial organizations and individuals have to pay in advance. To avoid
the delay and paper work, a deposit account with minimum of Rs.500/- may be opened. Payment
made in favour of respective Document Delivery Centre (e.g. Head, Document Delivery
Centre, Tata Institute of Social Sciences in case of TISS, Mumbai). For local requests made in
person payment mode is by cash.
For Maharashtra region TISS Library has been recognized as one of the document delivery
centre. This centre deliver, on demand, the copies of research papers from 4000 and odd print
journals subscribed by these Centres apart from 7000 and odd full text e-journals, conference
proceedings and other materials. Access to all these journals has been provided through JCCC
gateway portal. Users can also submit an online request in JCCC for the article from both print
and e-journals.
Conclusion
Document Delivery services provides the pin pointed, proper and very quick service to the user.
The INFLIBNETs initiatives are remarkable in India. This is one of the best and important
services in modern era. This service has helped to save the time of research scholars,
academician and students of the institution. The academic libraries have to take this facility to
their user, and encourage to others. Technological, economic and sociological barriers are
needed to be removed for effective electronic document delivery. In the recent IT age, where a
user asks for pin pointed information instead of resources, DDS can be proved to be an
important service to be provided to the users.
Reference :
1. http://www.oocities.org/tisslibraryin/dds.html retrieved on 31/10/12
2. http://igmlnet.uohyd.ernet.in:8000/nucsal/six_ddc_database.htm retrieved on 31/10/12
3. Dhavan m s : information dissemination services
http://www.unesco.org/education/aladin/paldin/pdf/course02/unit_06.pdf retrieved on
30/09/12
4. Chandra harish , Web based document delivery service at the central library of IIT
Madras http://ir.inflibnet.ac.in/dxml/bitstream/handle/1944/5/pdf_12.pdf?sequence=2
retrieved on 09/10/12
5. Manna Sumit Kumar : Document delivery in digital environment
http://ir.inflibnet.ac.in/dxml/bitstream/handle/1944/124/cali_27.pdf?sequence=1
retrieved on 9/10/12