ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 16 / C&RL News ■ January 2001 C o l l e g e & R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s wsne Purchase Express for any user request The University of Virginia Library offers delivery in seven days by Lynda Fuller Clendenn¡ng O ne day last May, Professor “Smith” re­quested that the library purchase 7⅞e A m er ic a n Presidents. Five days later the book was delivered directly to his office. Later that month, Environmental Sciences graduate stu­ dent “Jo n e s ,” requested P r a c t ic a l B iostatisti- c a l M ethods. Six days later, she received an e-mail message that the book she ordered was being held for her at the Science and Engineering Library. Both library users took advantage o f a new service offered by the University o f Virginia Library called “Purchase Express,” which expedites requests for books and information. Using the “Purchase Request” link from the library’s hom epage, users request the materials they need that are not already avail­ able in the university library system. The re­ quest is then routed to individual subject li­ brarians (selectors) who authorize the pur­ chase of the item and forward the request to acquisitions order staff. The library’s goal is to acquire any item a user requests within an average o f seven days. To the delight o f us­ ers and library staff, domestic items arrive within an average o f five-to-six days. One user reported, “Purchase Express is phenomenal. Just a few days ago I sent a purchase request recommending that the li­ brary replace its lost copy of Stegner’s A n gle o f Repose. Within days, a copy o f A n gle was delivered to m e.” How does the library do it? Acquisitions order staff take advantage o f the Internet and local bookstores, including the University Bookstore, to expedite orders. Out- of-print titles, if available on the Internet through B ibliofind or other onlin e b o o k sources, can often b e acquired as quickly as “in-print” titles. Using Amazon.com and the new foreign online book sites, e-mail, fax, phone, and credit cards, library staff can meet promised delivery times for titles published in the United States. Foreign items may take longer, but still arrive in Charlottesville much quicker than the traditional norm o f three to six months. Even faxed purchase orders to European book dealers often result in deliv­ ery within a few weeks. Every staff member handles each user-re­ quested item like a “hot-potato” moving the material through selection, funding, order, re­ ceipt, cataloging, and processing in a few hours at each station. Nearly 200 users request items through Purchase Express each month, and each requestor receives notification from a selector when the request has been ordered. P u rc h a s e E x p re s s c o m p le m e n ts the library’s most popular service, Library Express About the author | Lynda Fuller Clendenn¡ng is directoro ft he acquisitions andp resen/ation department atthe University o f Virginia, Charlottesville, e-mail:lfc9k@virginiaĕedu mailto:lfc9k@virginia.edu C&RL News ■ January 2001 / 17 O n-G rounds (L E O ), th e lib r a r y ’s in te r li­ brary loan and d o c u m e n t d e liv e ry se rv ice . “With the b o rro w in g p o w e r o f LEO and the ability to b u y m aterials via P u rch a se Express, u sers o f th e lib ra r y n o w h a v e timely a ccess to v irtually a n y b o o k s o r ar­ ticles they r e q u ire ,” th e D ire c to r o f In te r li­ brary Services D o u g Hurd rep o rts. These services m eet the library’s goal o f expediting delivery o f inform ation to users when they need it. Users select am ong the request options o f pu rchase an item, ILL, or recall a circulating item d epend ing o n their particular need and p reference. Internally, w e may make a d ifferen t d e c is io n b a s e d o n which delivery method will get the bo o k most quickly. Only new journal subscriptions, rare materials, and products requiring licenses are excluded from the list o f form ats and items that the library acquires through Purchase E x­ press. A cadem ic lib ra r ie s a re le a r n in g fro m online b o o k s to re s (o u r c o m p e tito rs ) that we need to o ffe r e x c e lle n t c u sto m iz e d s e r ­ vices to our users or th ey w ill g o e lse w h e re for the info rm atio n th e y n e e d . Academic libraries are learning from online bookstores (our competitors) that we need to offer excellent customized services to our users or they will go else­ where for the information they need. At th e U niv ersity o f V irginia Library, w e w a n t to b e th e p la c e o u r u s e rs c o m e fo r in fo rm a tio n , and , w e h o p e th at P u rch a se E xp ress and LEO are th e serv ices that m ake us th e first th o u g h t in o u r u s e r s ’ m inds w h e n th e y n e e d in fo r m a tio n th e lib rary d o e s n o t a lrea d y ow n . D e p u ty U n iv e r s ity L ib ra ria n K e n d o n Stu b b s n o te s , “T h r o u g h P u rc h a se E x p re s s and LEO, w e n o w o ffe r q u ic k a c c e s s to o v e r 5 0 m illio n title s a v a ila b le th ro u g h p u rc h a s e fro m o n lin e v e n d o rs o r b y b o r ­ ro w in g from o v e r 6 ,0 0 0 lib ra r ie s aro u n d th e w o r ld .” ■ 1 8 / C&RL News ■ January 2001 The gateway to a world of information In a changing w orld, vision, experience and reliability are th e qualities you value in a partner. W hether it be the m anagem ent o f your subscriptions or th e delivery o f an article to your desktop, Sw ets Blackw ell provides For further inform ation please contact: Swets Blackwell 160 N inth Avenue, P.O. Box 1459 Runnemede, N) 08078 T: 800-645-6595 F: 856-312-2000 22 C ortlandt Street New York, NY 10007 T: 800-221-3306 F: 212-233-0746 440 Creamery Way Suite A Exton, PA 19341 T: 800-447-9387 F: 800-590-9850 www.swetsblackwell.com quality services to libraries and inform ation centers all over the w orld. S w e ts B la c k w e ll Enhancing the power of your knowledge http://www.swetsblackwell.com