Career Paths of Interlibrary Loan Heads

Career Paths of Interlibrary Loan HeadsThe Long and Winding Road

Thomas Schaffer

ABSTRACT The following article examines the career paths of employ-ees who head interlibrary loan units in the Amigos service region Based ona survey of 136 Heads of Interlibrary Loan in Arkansas Arizona New Mex-ico Oklahoma and Texas the article provides a profile of the education andexperience of these managers Annual borrowing and lending statistics andrespondentsrsquo opinions concerning the most important qualifications neededin their positions are also quantified [Article copies available for a fee fromThe Haworth Document Delivery Service 1-800-HAWORTH E-mail addressltdocdeliveryhaworthpresscomgt Website lthttpwwwHaworthPresscomgt copy 2003The Haworth Press Inc All rights reserved]

KEYWORDS Interlibrary loan careers

INTRODUCTION

Within academic libraries the employees who head interlibrary loanunits constitute a unique group among library managers Heads of Interli-brary Loan may be either professional librarians or professional staff mem-bers may work in several library departments or may spend all of theirtime managing interlibrary loan operations and must combine technicalservice skills public service skills bibliographic skills and managerial

Thomas Schaffer is Social Sciences Reference Librarian Texas AampM UniversityLibraries Texas AampM University College Station TX 77843-5000 (E-mail tschaffetamuedu)

Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Delivery amp Information SupplyVol 13(4) 2003

httpwwwhaworthpresscomstoreproductaspsku=J110 2003 by The Haworth Press Inc All rights reserved

101300J110v13n04_06 63

skills to succeed at their jobs Heads of Interlibrary Loan must also possessunusually detailed knowledge of both their libraries and their campusesfactors that may enhance the attractiveness of internal applicants for thesepositions In many cases heads of Interlibrary Loan must negotiate consor-tia agreements arrange for the payment of royalties and ensure that theirunits are complying with copyright restrictions The high levels of skillsand responsibilities needed in this position frequently make replacing theheads of an interlibrary loan department a daunting task

The data featured in this article was tabulated from a survey of aca-demic and public libraries in the Amigos service region of the southwest-ern United States The article employs survey results to examine thecareer paths of interlibrary loan heads The study quantifies survey dataconcerning the education and experience of interlibrary loan heads aswell as their opinions concerning their departments and their positions

LITERATURE REVIEW

Scholarship based on interlibrary loan surveys has appeared in the li-brary literature frequently To date no studies have focused on the careerpaths of interlibrary loan heads Most scholarship based on interlibraryloan surveys have instead focused on cost-effectiveness and staffing

Interlibrary Loan in Academic and Research Libraries Workload andStaffing (1989) by Pat Weaver-Myers Shelley Clement and CarolynMahin used data obtained from ARL member libraries to calculate meanborrowing and lending fill rates (1-9) Two exhaustive surveys examinedlibraries at different ends of the research librariesrsquo spectrum InterlibraryLoan Trends Staffing and Organization (1992) by Tammy NickelsonDearie and Virginia Steel detailed findings on all aspects of interlibraryloan from a survey of interlibrary loan units that included 80 of the largestresearch libraries in the United States and Canada (3-12) while RoxannBustosrsquo Interlibrary Loan in College Libraries (1993) gathered data from190 interlibrary loan units in libraries that served universities and col-leges with 1000-5000 students (2-17) Dearie and Steel found evidenceof high turnover among interlibrary loan heads with 41 (52) of the re-spondents having held their positions five years or less (2 4) With 31(37) of the supervisors they surveyed lacking a Masterrsquos of Library Sci-ence degree they also noted that the subject of the importance of a MLSto the management of interlibrary loan had become a major issue in manylibraries (1-2 4) Bustos found 138 librarians supervising interlibraryloan departments a higher percentage (73) than Dearie and Steel but

64 Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Delivery amp Information Supply

she also found that only 14 (10) of these managers spent all of their timeworking in interlibrary loan (3 10) In the ARLRLG Interlibrary LoanCost Survey (1993) a study based on a survey of 76 North American re-search libraries Marilyn M Roche developed a methodology for calcu-lating borrowing and lending costs that formed the basis for severalsubsequent studies (iv 1-3 45-53) One of these studies Mary JacksonrsquosMeasuring the Performance of Interlibrary Loan Operations in NorthAmerican Research and College Libraries (1998) gathered data from 97research libraries (5) In addition to providing data on all aspects of staff-ing in ILL Jackson quantified borrowing and lending costs combinedunit costs turnaround time borrowing and lending fill rates and user sat-isfaction (1-87)

Scholarship based on interlibrary loan surveys has also appeared fre-quently in the journal literature In ldquoInterlibrary Loan Document Deliveryand Customer Satisfactionrdquo (1996) Nancy Paine and John Ward used sur-vey results from 41 libraries belonging to the Greater Midwest ResearchLibraries Consortium (GMRLC) to update many of the findings from theWeaver-Myers Clement and Mahin study (73-93) Cheryl LaGuardia andConnie V Dowellrsquos ldquoThe Structure of Resource Sharing in Academic Re-search Librariesrdquo (1991) used data from 100 ARL academic libraries toquantify staffing in interlibrary loan units (371) LaGuardia and Dowellfound that 65 (65) of the interlibrary loan units in the survey were su-pervised by a professional librarian (MLS) and found little consistency inthe place interlibrary loan occupied in the organization charts of differentlibraries (371-372) In ldquoILL Staffing A Survey of Michigan AcademicLibrariesrdquo (1995) Janice Kimmel divided the interlibrary loan units thatparticipated in her survey into small medium and large departmentsbased on their total number of annual transactions (207) She found thatunits with the lowest number of annual transactions were more dependenton librarians while units with the highest number of annual transactionswere more dependent on student assistants to complete tasks (209) Shealso concluded that pressures resulting from increasing volumes oftransactions had blurred distinctions between categories of workers andthat ineffective staffing patterns were developing in many of the interli-brary loan units that she surveyed (209-210 211-213)

METHODOLOGY

Surveys were mailed to heads of Interlibrary Loan in 136 libraries inthe Amigos service region of the southwestern United States Since inter-

Thomas Schaffer 65

library loan units in large public libraries often serve the same needs asinterlibrary loan units in academic libraries heads of Interlibrary Loanworking in the largest public libraries were included in the study Surveyswere sent to all four-year academic libraries in Arizona Arkansas NewMexico Oklahoma and Texas that received a narrative description inThe College Blue Book (volume 1 29th edition)1 and to public librariesin these states that served cities with a population of over 100000 resi-dents Ninety-one supervisors responded to the initial mailing (67) afollow-up letter elicited an additional fifteen responses (total 78)

The survey consisted of twenty questions related to the education expe-rience and responsibilities of the subjects as well as the settings in whichthey worked Coded return envelopes were discarded before survey resultswere tabulated so responses remained completely anonymous Ten ques-tions dealing with education experience qualifications and borrowingand lending activity formed the basis for this article Nine questions weremultiple choice or fill-in the blank several multiple choice questions of-fered ldquootherrdquo or ldquona (not available)rdquo as possible responses Five of the tenquestions received 106 responses (100) response rates for the remainingquestions ranged from 103 (97) to 80 (75) responses

BORROWING AND LENDING STATISTICS

Question What is your libraryrsquos borrowing activity Please indicatethe total number of requests submitted per year

Question What is your libraryrsquos lending activity Please indicate thetotal number of requests received per year

Figure 1 compares annual borrowing and lending transactions fromresponding interlibrary loan units Although several subjects providedonly borrowing transactions or only lending transactions both ques-tions received a total of 103 responses For the majority of the catego-ries provided in the survey borrowing and lending transactions werenearly equal Based on these extremely broad categories twelve librar-ies were net borrowers and sixteen libraries were net lenders

Rank or Title

Question What category best describes your current rank or title

All 106 respondents answered this question Sixty-one respondents(58) possessed an MLS while 45 respondents (42) were members of


their libraryrsquos support staff The percentage of librarians supervising in-terlibrary loan departments was lower than the percentages recorded byLaGuardia and Dowell (65) Dearie and Steel (63) or Bustos (73)2Figure 2 compares the professional status of 103 respondents to the an-nual borrowing statistics recorded by their departments Although depart-ments that borrowed less than ten thousand items were almost equallylikely to be headed by a librarian or a staff member a librarian headed 18(75) of the departments that borrowed ten thousand or more items

Question Is it important for an interlibrary loan head to have an MLS

One hundred-five respondents chose one of the three multiple-choiceanswers provided for this question Thirty-five (33) respondents felt itwas very important for an interlibrary loan head to possess an MLS while27 (26) respondents considered an MLS to be of little importance Figure3 shows that as groups librarians and staff members were diametrically

Thomas Schaffer 67

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

01-999 1000-

49995000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more

of Transactions Annually

borrowing

lending

of

Res

pond

ents

36 3733

27

10 812

18

12 13

FIGURE 1 Number of Respondents vs BorrowingLending Transactions

Borrowing Activity vs Lending Activity Borrowing Lending

lt1000 transactions 36 35 37 36

1000-4999 33 32 27 26

5000-9999 10 10 8 8

10000-19999 12 12 18 17

gt19999 transactions 12 12 13 13

Total 103 100 103 100

opposed when answering this question with the percentage of staff whofelt an MLS offered little benefit (53) almost equaling the percentage oflibrarians who considered an MLS highly beneficial (55) Almost equalpercentages of librarians (40) and staff members (42) indicated that anMLS was somewhat beneficial One librarian provided an alternate an-swer to this multiple-choice question This manager believed that thebenefits of interlibrary loan heads having a library science degree wanedas the level of expertise of their staff increased He believed that if thestaff members in an interlibrary loan unit were highly skilled bibliogra-phers the degree provided little benefit

Education

All 106 respondents identified the highest level of education they hadreceived Figure 4 provides a profile of these responses Four of the 61 li-


Staff

Librarians

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

of

Res

pond

ents

Annual Borrowing Transactions

1-999 1000-4999

5000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more

14

22

19

14

6

4

4

8

2

10

FIGURE 2 Professional Status vs Borrowing Activity

Professional Status vs Borrowing Activity Librarians Staff

lt 1000 22 38 14 31

1000-4999 14 24 19 42

5000-9999 4 7 6 13

10000-19999 8 14 4 9

gt 19999 10 17 2 4

Total 58 100 45 100

brarians (7) possessed a doctorate in addition to their MLS while 3 li-brarians (5) volunteered that they possessed an additional masterrsquosdegree Twenty-six of the 45 staff respondents (58) had obtained abachelorrsquos degree 3 of these respondents (7) had also earned a masterrsquosdegree Eight staff respondents (18) had received an associatersquos degreeor had completed at least two years of college Three staff respondents(7) indicated that they were currently enrolled in undergraduate pro-grams and 1 staff member (2) was pursuing a graduate degree A singlestaff employee had acquired a registered nursing degree

Experience

Question Before working for ILL did you work in other library units

Subjects identified seventeen different library departments in whichthey had gained experience before their tenure in ILL Figure 5 provides abreakdown of the departments that registered at least two responses Asmight be expected the great majority of respondents had gained experi-ence in public service-oriented departments like reference and circula-tion but cataloging experience was also named by 36 (21) subjectsUnits receiving a single response included public services shelving dis-

Thomas Schaffer 69

Staff

Librarians

Of LittleImportance

454035302520151050

VeryImportant

of

Res

pond

ents

SomewhatImportant

2

33

19

2424

3

FIGURE 3 Perceived Importance of MLS for ILL Heads

Perceived Importance of MLS for ILL Heads Librarians Staff

Very Important 33 55 2 4

Somewhat Important 24 40 19 42

Of Little Importance 3 5 24 53

Total 60 100 45 100

tance learning current periodicals serials youth services childrenrsquosbindery outreach and special collections Three respondents (2) alsoindicated that they had gained experience in different types of librariesThese respondents had worked in a public school library a military li-brary and a fee-based library An additional interlibrary loan heads hadgained experience working as the manager of a branch library

For the ninety-four respondents who answered this question 65 re-spondents (69) had worked in at least two different library depart-ments (besides ILL) before obtaining their current position Responsesranged from a high of five different departments to one department

Question In which departmentdivision did you have the longest tenure

Figure 6 shows that by a large margin respondents named referenceas the library department (besides ILL) in which they had acquired themost years of service Reference and circulation accounted for 57(71) of the responses to this question but subjects identified fifteendifferent library departments when providing responses


60

50

40

30

20

10

0

60

docto

rate

bach

elorrsquos

high sc

hool

of

Res

pond

ents

4

23

8 10

1

FIGURE 4 Highest Level of Education

Highest Level of Education Respondents

Doctorate 4 4

Masterrsquos 60 57

Bachelorrsquos 23 22

Associate 8 8

High school 10 9

Other 1 1

Total 106 100

Years of Service

Question How long have you been employed (as a librarian or as sup-port staff) in libraries

Question How long have you been in your current position

Figure 7 provides a comparison of years of service as a library staffmember or librarian with years of service as an interlibrary loan headWhile the responses for years of service as a library employee wereevenly distributed among the five choices provided the greatest num-ber of subjects had been employed in libraries for twenty years or more

Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5

FIGURE 5 Departments in Which Respondents Gained Experience

Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2

Government documents 3 2

Bibliographic instruction 2 1

Systems 2 1

Total 170 100

The responses for the second question supported Deariersquos conclusionthat most heads of interlibrary loan have been employed in their currentpositions for relatively short periods In this survey 56 (53) of theheads of interlibrary loan had been in their current position five yearsor less

Qualifications

Question What are the five most important qualifications for an interli-brary loan head

Ninety-three respondents named at least one qualification Responsesranged from three words to over a half-page of comments Making distinc-tions between terms that represented similar ideas (eg reference skills andresearch experience) proved difficult but the researcher identifiedninety-eight different qualifications named by respondents Both qualifica-tions that represented personal qualities (attention to detail) and qualifica-tions obtained through experience or education (OCLC searching skills)ranked among the most popular answers Qualifications that were namedby at least five respondents appear in Table 1


reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4

FIGURE 6 Department in Which Respondents Have Gained the Most Experi-ence

Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS

Studies completed in the previous decade showed that a lack of con-sensus existed within academic libraries concerning the benefits of a li-brary degree to the management of interlibrary loan The results of thissurvey show that ten years later a lack of consensus still exists Thisstudy found a smaller percentage of librarians heading interlibrary loanunits than studies completed in the previous decade If this study ap-pears to lend support to the idea that more deans and directors are will-ing to place staff members in charge of entire interlibrary loan units italso shows that disagreement about the benefits of an MLS continues toexist among interlibrary loan heads

The survey does however provide useful information to library ad-ministrators who need to fill vacancies in their interlibrary loan unitsWith 87 (82) of the subjects possessing at least a bachelorrsquos degree

Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7

FIGURE 7 Years of Service in Libraries vs Years as ILL Head

Years of Service Years in Libraries Years as ILL Head

lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100

the study suggests that administrators are likely to succeed in findingwell-educated candidates to fill these positions Administrators shouldalso feel confident that they would be able to recruit qualified highlyexperienced candidates from departments outside of ILL The prepon-derance of reference experience among the survey respondents suggeststhat administrators should be successful in identifying candidates whopossess the bibliography skills needed in ILL Survey results also sug-gest however that it is frequently possible for administrators to lookfor candidates with an impressive combination of public services andtechnical services experience Most candidates with technical serviceskills will often already possess the OCLC searching skills needed in in-terlibrary loan


TABLE 1 The Five Most Important Qualifications for an ILL Head

Qualifications listed most often

Public Service SkillsCommitment to Public Service 34

Bibliography Skills 34

Organizational Ability 29

Detail-Oriented 28

OCLC Searching Skills 24

Additional qualifications that were named at least five times

Automation Skills 22

Communication Skills 19

Management Skills 13

Supervisory Skills 12

Flexibility 12

Patience 11

Familiarity with New Technology 11

Research TrainingSkills 9

Tenacity 8

Willingness to Change 8

Ability to Multitask 8

Knowledge of ILL Software 8

VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6

Copyright Expertise 5

Cataloging Knowledge 5

Although the survey suggests that a substantial number of adminis-trators have decided that professional training is not essential to the suc-cess of an interlibrary loan head deans and directors should considerthe size and complexity of their interlibrary loan operations when fillingvacancies Eighteen (83) of the highest volume units were headed bylibrarians so the size of interlibrary loan operations seems to influencewhat occurs in interlibrary loan on a daily basis

ILL heads must possess a broad well-informed overview of resourcesharing so vision and leadership remain essential qualifications for thisposition Whether obtained through education or through work experi-ence heads of interlibrary loan must possess the understanding andcommitment required for this indispensable enterprise

NOTES

1 See The College Blue Book Volume 1 25-31 513-518 667-679 803-8442 See Dearie and Steel Interlibrary Loan Trends Workload and Staffing 2 4

Bustos Interlibrary Loan in College Libraries 3 10 LaGuardia and Dowell ldquoTheStructure of Resource Sharing in Academic and Research Librariesrdquo 371-372

WORKS CITED

Bustos Roxann Interlibrary Loan in College Libraries Clip Note No 16 ChicagoIL College Libraries Section Association of College and Research Libraries 1993

The College Blue Book 29th ed 4 Volumes New York MacMillan 2002Dearie Tammy Nickelson and Virginia Steel Interlibrary Loan Trends Staffing and

Organization SPEC Kit No 187 Washington DC Association of Research Li-braries 1992

Jackson Mary E Measuring the Performance of Interlibrary Loan Operations inNorth American Research and College Libraries Washington DC Association ofResearch Libraries 1998

Kimmel Janice L ldquoILL Staffing A Survey of Michigan Librariesrdquo RQ 35 (1995)205-216

LaGuardia Cheryl and Connie V Dowell ldquoThe Structure of Resource Sharing in Aca-demic Research Librariesrdquo RQ 30 (1991) 370-376

Paine Nancy E and John D Ward ldquoChanging Workloads and Productivity in Interli-brary Loanrdquo Journal of Library Administration 231-2 (1996) 73-93

Roche Marilyn M The ARLRLG Interlibrary Loan Cost Study Washington DC As-sociation of Research Libraries 1993

Weaver-Myers Pat Shelly Clement and Carolyn Mahin Interlibrary Loan in Aca-demic and Research Libraries Workload and Staffing OP 15 Washington DCAssociation of Research Libraries 1989

Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX

1 Which category best describes your current rank or title

Librarian (MLS) 61 Other (please specify)Support Staff 45

2 Please indicate the highest level of education that you have received

Associatersquos Degree 8 Masterrsquos Degree 60Bachelorrsquos Degree 23 Other (please specify) 15

Includes respondents who completed at least two years of college High School (10) PhD (4) RN [registered nurse] (1)

3 How long have you ben employed (as a librarian or as support staff) in libraries

1-5 years 19 11-15 years 196-10 years 24 16-20 years 16

more than 20 years 28

4 How many hours per week do you work in interlibrary loan

10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48

5 If you work less than 40 hours per week in ILL please indicate the number of hours youwork if any in other library departmentsdivisions

Access ServicesCirculation ReferenceAcquisitions Other (please specify)Cataloging NA

Responses were not tabulated due to the great variety of answers Thirty-two respondentsdid not provide specific hours or chose NA

6 Before working for ILL did you work in other library units Please check all that apply

Access ServicesCirculation 43 Reference 54Acquisitions 14 Other (please specify) 23Cataloging 36 NA 10

Administration (5) Government Documents (3) Serials (3) Systems (2) B I (2) DistanceLearning (1) Shelving (1) CPD (1) Childrenrsquos (1) Youth Services (1) Outreach (1) SpecialCollections (1) Public Services (1)

7 In which departmentdivision did you have the longest tenure


Administration (3) Distance Learning (1) Systems (1) Shelving (1) DDS (1) CPD (1)Youth Services (1) Childrenrsquos (1) Government Documents (1) Serials (1)

Thomas Schaffer 77

8 Which experience has been the most useful in your current position


Fifty-seven respondents selected the department in which they gained the most experienceas the department that had been the most useful in their current position Eighteen respon-dents chose NA Only fourteen respondents chose a different department than the answerthey selected for the previous question

9 How long have you been employed in your current position


More than 20 years 7

10 What is your libraryrsquos borrowing activity Please indicate the total number of requestssubmitted per year

1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12

11 What is your libraryrsquos lending activity Please indicate the total number of requests re-ceived per year

1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13

12 Where do your patrons submit interlibrary loan requests Please check all that apply

ILL desk 38 Branch librarydept library 22Reference desk 50 Other (please specify) 86Circulation desk 53

Online [Web form or Database] (48) E-mail (21) Mail (4) Phone (3) CPD (2) Fax (2) Ad-ministration (2) Through Special Libraries (1) Through Area Libraries (1) Through SystemLibraries (1) At All Public Desks (1)

13 Where do your patrons pick up interlibrary loan materials Please check all that apply


Electronic Delivery (6) CPD (2) Mail (1)

14 Do you deliver articles electronically to your patrons

Yes 20 No 86

Seven respondents indicated that their departments would implement electronic delivery ofarticles in the near future

Note Twenty respondents indicated that their libraries delivered articles electronically but inthe previous question only six respondents indicated that their departments delivered itemselectronically to patrons


APPENDIX (continued)

15 Please indicate the number the number of FTE staff employed in interlibrary loan opera-tions

Librarians (MLS) Student assistantsSupport Staff

Responses were not tabulated The majority of respondents provided the total number of em-ployees rather than FTE employees

16 Which departmentdivision does interlibrary loan report to in your library

Access ServicesCirculation 28 Cataloging 2Acquisitions 5 Reference 22

Other (please specify) 47

A department by itself [includes interlibrary loan departments that report to a senior adminis-trator] (29) Public Services (11) Regional Library Center (3) State Library (1) Business Of-fice (1) Distance Learning (1) Adult Resources (1) CPD (1)

17 Based on your response to question 16 do you think interlibrary loan would functionmore effectively if it were part of a different departmentdivision

Yes 9 No 94

18 If yes in your opinion where would interlibrary loan be placed most effectively

Access ServicesCirculation 4 CatalogingAcquisitions 2 Reference


A department by itself (3)

19 Do you think it is important for an interlibrary loan head to have an MLS

Very important 35 Somewhat important 43Of little importance 27

20 What are the five most important qualifications for an interlibrary loan Head Please listbelow

1 Public Service SkillsCommitment to Public Service (36)2 Bibliography Skills (34)3 Organizational Ability (29)4 Detail-Oriented (28)5 OCLC Searching Skills (24)


Automation Skills (22) Tenacity (8)Communication Skills (19) Willingness to Change (8)Management Skills (13) Ability to Multitask (8)Supervisory Skills (12) Knowledge of Interlibrary Loan Software

(8)Flexibility (12) VisionLeadership (7)Patience (11) Analytical Skills (6)Familiarity with New Technology (11) Copyright Expertise (5)Research TrainingSkills (9) Cataloging Knowledge (5)

skills to succeed at their jobs Heads of Interlibrary Loan must also possessunusually detailed knowledge of both their libraries and their campusesfactors that may enhance the attractiveness of internal applicants for thesepositions In many cases heads of Interlibrary Loan must negotiate consor-tia agreements arrange for the payment of royalties and ensure that theirunits are complying with copyright restrictions The high levels of skillsand responsibilities needed in this position frequently make replacing theheads of an interlibrary loan department a daunting task

The data featured in this article was tabulated from a survey of aca-demic and public libraries in the Amigos service region of the southwest-ern United States The article employs survey results to examine thecareer paths of interlibrary loan heads The study quantifies survey dataconcerning the education and experience of interlibrary loan heads aswell as their opinions concerning their departments and their positions

LITERATURE REVIEW

Scholarship based on interlibrary loan surveys has appeared in the li-brary literature frequently To date no studies have focused on the careerpaths of interlibrary loan heads Most scholarship based on interlibraryloan surveys have instead focused on cost-effectiveness and staffing

Interlibrary Loan in Academic and Research Libraries Workload andStaffing (1989) by Pat Weaver-Myers Shelley Clement and CarolynMahin used data obtained from ARL member libraries to calculate meanborrowing and lending fill rates (1-9) Two exhaustive surveys examinedlibraries at different ends of the research librariesrsquo spectrum InterlibraryLoan Trends Staffing and Organization (1992) by Tammy NickelsonDearie and Virginia Steel detailed findings on all aspects of interlibraryloan from a survey of interlibrary loan units that included 80 of the largestresearch libraries in the United States and Canada (3-12) while RoxannBustosrsquo Interlibrary Loan in College Libraries (1993) gathered data from190 interlibrary loan units in libraries that served universities and col-leges with 1000-5000 students (2-17) Dearie and Steel found evidenceof high turnover among interlibrary loan heads with 41 (52) of the re-spondents having held their positions five years or less (2 4) With 31(37) of the supervisors they surveyed lacking a Masterrsquos of Library Sci-ence degree they also noted that the subject of the importance of a MLSto the management of interlibrary loan had become a major issue in manylibraries (1-2 4) Bustos found 138 librarians supervising interlibraryloan departments a higher percentage (73) than Dearie and Steel but




METHODOLOGY


Thomas Schaffer 65







Rank or Title







Thomas Schaffer 67

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

01-999 1000-

49995000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more


borrowing

lending

of

Res

pond

ents

36 3733

27

10 812

18

12 13




1000-4999 33 32 27 26

5000-9999 10 10 8 8

10000-19999 12 12 18 17


Total 103 100 103 100


Education



Staff

Librarians

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

of

Res

pond

ents


1-999 1000-4999

5000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more

14

22

19

14

6

4

4

8

2

10



lt 1000 22 38 14 31

1000-4999 14 24 19 42

5000-9999 4 7 6 13

10000-19999 8 14 4 9

gt 19999 10 17 2 4

Total 58 100 45 100


Experience



Thomas Schaffer 69

Staff

Librarians

Of LittleImportance

454035302520151050

VeryImportant

of

Res

pond

ents

SomewhatImportant

2

33

19

2424

3






Total 60 100 45 100






60

50

40

30

20

10

0

60

docto

rate

bach

elorrsquos

high sc

hool

of

Res

pond

ents

4

23

8 10

1



Doctorate 4 4

Masterrsquos 60 57


Associate 8 8

High school 10 9

Other 1 1

Total 106 100

Years of Service




Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5


Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2



Systems 2 1

Total 170 100


Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94














METHODOLOGY


Thomas Schaffer 65







Rank or Title







Thomas Schaffer 67

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

01-999 1000-

49995000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more


borrowing

lending

of

Res

pond

ents

36 3733

27

10 812

18

12 13




1000-4999 33 32 27 26

5000-9999 10 10 8 8

10000-19999 12 12 18 17


Total 103 100 103 100


Education



Staff

Librarians

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

of

Res

pond

ents


1-999 1000-4999

5000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more

14

22

19

14

6

4

4

8

2

10



lt 1000 22 38 14 31

1000-4999 14 24 19 42

5000-9999 4 7 6 13

10000-19999 8 14 4 9

gt 19999 10 17 2 4

Total 58 100 45 100


Experience



Thomas Schaffer 69

Staff

Librarians

Of LittleImportance

454035302520151050

VeryImportant

of

Res

pond

ents

SomewhatImportant

2

33

19

2424

3






Total 60 100 45 100






60

50

40

30

20

10

0

60

docto

rate

bach

elorrsquos

high sc

hool

of

Res

pond

ents

4

23

8 10

1



Doctorate 4 4

Masterrsquos 60 57


Associate 8 8

High school 10 9

Other 1 1

Total 106 100

Years of Service




Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5


Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2



Systems 2 1

Total 170 100


Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94


















Rank or Title







Thomas Schaffer 67

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

01-999 1000-

49995000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more


borrowing

lending

of

Res

pond

ents

36 3733

27

10 812

18

12 13




1000-4999 33 32 27 26

5000-9999 10 10 8 8

10000-19999 12 12 18 17


Total 103 100 103 100


Education



Staff

Librarians

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

of

Res

pond

ents


1-999 1000-4999

5000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more

14

22

19

14

6

4

4

8

2

10



lt 1000 22 38 14 31

1000-4999 14 24 19 42

5000-9999 4 7 6 13

10000-19999 8 14 4 9

gt 19999 10 17 2 4

Total 58 100 45 100


Experience



Thomas Schaffer 69

Staff

Librarians

Of LittleImportance

454035302520151050

VeryImportant

of

Res

pond

ents

SomewhatImportant

2

33

19

2424

3






Total 60 100 45 100






60

50

40

30

20

10

0

60

docto

rate

bach

elorrsquos

high sc

hool

of

Res

pond

ents

4

23

8 10

1



Doctorate 4 4

Masterrsquos 60 57


Associate 8 8

High school 10 9

Other 1 1

Total 106 100

Years of Service




Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5


Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2



Systems 2 1

Total 170 100


Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94















Thomas Schaffer 67

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

01-999 1000-

49995000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more


borrowing

lending

of

Res

pond

ents

36 3733

27

10 812

18

12 13




1000-4999 33 32 27 26

5000-9999 10 10 8 8

10000-19999 12 12 18 17


Total 103 100 103 100


Education



Staff

Librarians

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

of

Res

pond

ents


1-999 1000-4999

5000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more

14

22

19

14

6

4

4

8

2

10



lt 1000 22 38 14 31

1000-4999 14 24 19 42

5000-9999 4 7 6 13

10000-19999 8 14 4 9

gt 19999 10 17 2 4

Total 58 100 45 100


Experience



Thomas Schaffer 69

Staff

Librarians

Of LittleImportance

454035302520151050

VeryImportant

of

Res

pond

ents

SomewhatImportant

2

33

19

2424

3






Total 60 100 45 100






60

50

40

30

20

10

0

60

docto

rate

bach

elorrsquos

high sc

hool

of

Res

pond

ents

4

23

8 10

1



Doctorate 4 4

Masterrsquos 60 57


Associate 8 8

High school 10 9

Other 1 1

Total 106 100

Years of Service




Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5


Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2



Systems 2 1

Total 170 100


Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94













Education



Staff

Librarians

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

of

Res

pond

ents


1-999 1000-4999

5000-9999

10000-19999

20000or more

14

22

19

14

6

4

4

8

2

10



lt 1000 22 38 14 31

1000-4999 14 24 19 42

5000-9999 4 7 6 13

10000-19999 8 14 4 9

gt 19999 10 17 2 4

Total 58 100 45 100


Experience



Thomas Schaffer 69

Staff

Librarians

Of LittleImportance

454035302520151050

VeryImportant

of

Res

pond

ents

SomewhatImportant

2

33

19

2424

3






Total 60 100 45 100






60

50

40

30

20

10

0

60

docto

rate

bach

elorrsquos

high sc

hool

of

Res

pond

ents

4

23

8 10

1



Doctorate 4 4

Masterrsquos 60 57


Associate 8 8

High school 10 9

Other 1 1

Total 106 100

Years of Service




Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5


Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2



Systems 2 1

Total 170 100


Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94













Experience



Thomas Schaffer 69

Staff

Librarians

Of LittleImportance

454035302520151050

VeryImportant

of

Res

pond

ents

SomewhatImportant

2

33

19

2424

3






Total 60 100 45 100






60

50

40

30

20

10

0

60

docto

rate

bach

elorrsquos

high sc

hool

of

Res

pond

ents

4

23

8 10

1



Doctorate 4 4

Masterrsquos 60 57


Associate 8 8

High school 10 9

Other 1 1

Total 106 100

Years of Service




Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5


Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2



Systems 2 1

Total 170 100


Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94

















60

50

40

30

20

10

0

60

docto

rate

bach

elorrsquos

high sc

hool

of

Res

pond

ents

4

23

8 10

1



Doctorate 4 4

Masterrsquos 60 57


Associate 8 8

High school 10 9

Other 1 1

Total 106 100

Years of Service




Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5


Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2



Systems 2 1

Total 170 100


Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94












Years of Service




Thomas Schaffer 71

circulation

25

cataloging

21

acq

8

reference

32

systems

1

B I

1

gov docs

2serials

2admin

3other

5


Reference 54 32

Circulation 43 25

Cataloging 36 21

Acquisitions 14 8

Other 8 5

Administration 5 3

Serials 3 2



Systems 2 1

Total 170 100


Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94













Qualifications




reference45

circulation26

other11

cataloging10

acq4

admin4


Reference 36 45

Circulation 21 26

Other 9 11

Cataloging 8 10

Acquisitions 3 4

Administration 3 4

Total 80 100

CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94












CONCLUSIONS



Thomas Schaffer 73

Years in Libraries

Years as ILL Head

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to15

16 to20

over 20

of

Res

pond

ents

56

1924

1719

15 16

11

28

7



lt 6 19 18 56 53

6 to 10 24 23 17 16

11 to 15 19 18 15 14

16 to 20 16 15 11 10

gt 20 28 26 7 7

Total 106 100 106 100








Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94



















Detail-Oriented 28







Flexibility 12

Patience 11



Tenacity 8




VisionLeadership 7

Analytical Skills 6





NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94














NOTES



WORKS CITED










Thomas Schaffer 75


APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94













APPENDIX










10 or less 21 21-30 1211-20 21 31-40 48










Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94












Thomas Schaffer 77








1-999 36 5000-9999 101000-4999 33 10000-19999 12

Over 20000 12


1-999 37 5000-9999 81000-4999 27 10000-19999 18

Over 20000 13








Yes 20 No 86













Yes 9 No 94






















Yes 9 No 94










