Once we’d got LibKey Nomad installed on all laptops and PCs across the Trust, we identified there was a gap that needed to be filled. If someone was searching on Google Scholar and we didn’t have a subscription to a particular journal, LibKey Nomad would flag it up with an ‘Access Options’ button. This button would lead the library user to a page where they were advised we didn’t have a current subscription and the user hit the proverbial dead end. We knew we had to provide a solution, in order to fulfil our commitment to seamless access to our resources.

I contacted Third Iron and they suggested that we set up a document supply request form which would be generated if the user came across a journal that we didn’t subscribe to. The ‘Access Options’ button would be set up by Third Iron to automatically generate an Outlook email that would be sent to the Library email inbox from the library user asking us to obtain the article via the document supply scheme.

This worked really well in testing, but it wasn’t enough on its own. We wanted to incorporate the text of the copyright declaration in the body of the email. This would ensure that the email fulfilled that requirement without needing the customer to fill in another form. It was difficult for Third Iron to provide a huge amount of text for the automatically generated email, due to technical restrictions. However, with some wrangling, we managed to reduce the character count so it fit into the parameters and the form was ready to be tested on a tame library user.

It worked so well! Finally, we’ve closed the gap that we never thought we’d be able to. Previously if a library user was searching for journal articles and came across a journal for which we didn’t have a subscription, their seamless user journey came to an end.

Now, all they need to do is click a button and an email request, complete with bibliographical references and copyright declaration, will be sent directly to us and enable us to supply academic papers quickly and efficiently. A win-win solution!

Melanie Dawson-Jones
Knowledge Manager
Bradford District Care NHS Trust
melanie.dawson@bdct.nhs.uk