Analysis of Print Journal Usage and Adaptation of Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Services in Response to COVID-19

Background: With the proliferation of COVID-19 cases in the spring of 2020, many libraries closed and provided limited or no access to their physical space. This impacted interlibrary loan/document delivery (ILL/DD) services at the [redacted] library. The library, while closed, continued to offer these services and saw a marked increase in lending requests from other libraries, particularly for older items maintained in the print journal collection. This poster addresses the impact of COVID-19 closure on print collection usage, the service adaptations made to address it, and the potential benefits of preserving a large print collection.

Description: Access to the library’s print collection was limited from March to June 2020 during the building’s closure. During the second quarter of 2020, lending requests from other libraries increased more than 50% through the DOCLINE and OCLC systems. Requests requiring the utilization of the print collection increased more than two times over the same time period in 2019. Meanwhile, patrons’ document delivery requests filled from the print collection more than doubled by the fourth quarter of 2020 as a result of modified document delivery services, including the elimination of associated fees. To meet increased demand while ILL/DD staff were on administrative leave during the closure, on-site staff from multiple departments helped pull and scan physical journals. The collective effort helped ensure seamless access for other libraries and affiliated patrons who could not access the library’s physical collections.

Conclusion: During these challenging times, the [redacted] library was able to adapt services and continually meet the needs of patrons and borrowing libraries. This was possible in large part due to the retention of a sizeable print journal collection. Analysis of print journal usage during this time demonstrates the value of retaining such a collection in an age when many institutions have shifted to fully electronic, potentially decreasing years of coverage or incurring a total loss of access due to an unexpected interruption in service.