Sample interview questions: How do you handle situations where users request access to materials that are not within the library’s collection?
Sample answer:
- Establish a Comprehensive Interlibrary Loan (ILL) System:
- Collaborate with other libraries to establish a robust ILL system that allows users to request materials not available in your library’s collection.
- Train staff on ILL procedures, copyright regulations, and best practices for processing ILL requests.
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Develop clear policies and guidelines for ILL, including turnaround times and borrowing limits.
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Proactively Seek Resource-Sharing Opportunities:
- Join consortia, networks, and library cooperatives that facilitate resource sharing among member institutions.
- Participate in shared collection development programs to maximize access to a wider range of materials.
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Explore options for document delivery services that can quickly deliver requested items to users.
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Utilize Electronic Resources and Online Databases:
- Subscribe to electronic journals, e-books, and online databases that provide access to a vast array of scholarly content.
- Train users on how to search and retrieve information from these electronic resources.
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Consider offering remote access to these resources for off-campus users.
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Provide Access to Open Access Resources:
- Promote and provide access to open access journals, repositories, and other scholarly resources that are freely available online.
- Create guides and tutorials to help users discover and utilize open access content.
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Encourage faculty and researchers to publish their work in open access journals to increase its visibility and accessibility.
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Facilitate Document Delivery Services:
- Partner with commercial document delivery services to provide users with access to articles, book chapters, and other materials not available in your library’s collection.
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Source: https://hireabo.com/job/18_0_4/Academic%20Librarian