Expanding services in a shrinking economy: desktop document delivery in a dental school library.

QUESTION: How can library staff develop and promote a document delivery service and then expand the service to a wide audience?

SETTING: The setting is the library at the Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD), Indianapolis.

METHOD: A faculty survey and a citation analysis were conducted to determine potential use of the service. Volume of interlibrary loan transactions and staff and equipment capacity were also studied.

MAIN RESULTS: IUSD Library staff created a desktop delivery service (DDSXpress) for faculty and then expanded the service to practicing dental professionals and graduate students. The number of faculty using DDSXpress remains consistent. The number of practicing dental professionals using the service is low. Graduate students have been quick to adopt the service.

CONCLUSION: Through careful analysis of capacity and need for the service, staff successfully expanded document delivery service without incurring additional costs. Use of DDSXpress is continually monitored, and opportunities to market the service to practicing dental professionals are being investigated.