What is Web Delivery Anyway?

According to NLM's DOCLINE -- Document Delivery via the Web page, web delivery means "that the document is posted to a web server at the lending institution in either PDF or TIFF format." The borrower — whether an individual or an institution — does not need a web server. The lending library has the web server and uses Relais Express, Relais, Ariel version 3, or another interlibrary loan system that has the capability of posting a document to the Web. The borrower receives an email message that includes the Unique Resource Location (URL) or web address of the document. The email also provides a password, if one is needed, and indicates how long the document will remain on the web server. To retrieve the document, the recipient enters the URL in any browser. A PDF document is viewed with Acrobat Reader software. A TIFF document is viewed with the TIFF viewer included with Windows '98 and later versions. You can also convert a TIFF document into PDF using NLM's DOCMORPH.

Email delivery is a bit different — the actual PDF or TIFF file is included as an email attachment to an email message. The advantages of email delivery are that you do not need a web server to lend an article nor do you need software to post the document to the web. The disadvantages are that your email inboxes (and those of your users) can get clogged with large messages. In either case, as a borrowing library, you can decide if you want the message delivered to yourself or if you want the message to go directly to the patron.

Electronic delivery — whether by the web or by email — results in a number of savings. A lot of steps are eliminated: stapling the article, stuffing it into an envelope, labeling the envelope, affixing postage, placing the package in the outgoing mail, etc. This can mean savings in both staff time and supplies. With web delivery, it can take a few minutes to actually post the article, so lending libraries usually caution eager readers to wait ten minutes after the email delivery message was sent before clicking on the URL. Now, that sounds like an improvement, doesn't it!

For more information about electronic delivery, including email electronic delivery, visit PSRML's Electronic Document Delivery page (PSRML Home Page -> Services for Network Members -> Document Delivery -> Electronic Document Delivery). AL & JKK

[Editor's Note: You can now search DOCLINE for libraries that offer Email or Web Delivery. On the Search/View screen, you can select "DOCLINE Email PDF Service", "DOCLINE Email TIFF Service", "DOCLINE Web PDF Service", or "DOCLINE Web TIFF Service". We are asking libraries to update this information during Membership Renewal.]

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January/February 2002 volume 11, issue 1

What is Web Delivery Anyway?

January/February 2002
volume 11, issue 1