1. ASCC: Answers to ReCAP-related Questions
Columbia University
2/24/09
Zack Lane
ReCAP Coordinator

2. Q: Do we have data on request failures?
A: Yes. A six month study of both physical delivery and EDD request failures was recently conducted. Data was gathered and analyzed from July to Dec
Please contact Zack Lane for full report: x15621,
Results…

3. Failure Data Gross number of failures (patrons and staff):
EDD: 9.3 per week (243 total)
Physical Delivery: 7.3 per week (191 total)
Patron failures (EDD data does not distinguish between patrons and staff):
Physical Delivery: 1.5 per week (38 total)

4. Analysis
Total number of Physical Delivery requests July-Dec 2008: 33,674 (est.)
Rate of patron failure: 0.11%
Total number of EDD requests July-Dec 2008: 1,359 (est.)
Rate of patron failure: 17.88%
Ratio of failure rates = 163:1 (EDD:PHYS)
EDD requests are more than 150 times more likely to fail than physical delivery

5. Breakdown of Patron failures
Physical requests:
Duplicate holdings (45%)
Parking Lot (8%)
Business Library encoding asymmetry (5%)
Google (3% - larger in 2009)
?Mystery? (39%) Cause unknown; in most cases request was filled.
EDD requests:
Condition problems (52%)
Citation errors (41%)
Copyright (7%)

6. Breakdown of Staff Failures
Staff account for 80% of physical delivery request failures
Testing (42%)
Item already OUT (29%)
Not on File (14%)
Delivery Method blank (10%)
Invalid location (3%)
Item WITHDRAWN (2%)

7. Notes on Failures
EDD requests are much more likely to fail than Physical Delivery.
Higher rate is due to object condition issues, patron-provided information and copyright restrictions.
Physical delivery failures are attributed to CUL staff responsibility.

8. Q: What is the total number of EDD requests?

9. Decline Trend for EDD Requests From Science Collections

10. Q: What is the average delivery time?
A: There have been no reports that delivery takes longer than the stated 1-2 business days under normal conditions.
If requests are submitted before 3:30 pm, ReCAP will fill the order and it will be delivered by the courier to CUL the following morning.
Delay may occur during the delivery by CUL Shipping & Receiving to department circulation desks - though there has been no reports that this is a common occurrence.

11. Delivery Time Note
Delivery from the patrons standpoint does not take place until they receive the item in hand.
After delivery to department circulation desks, ReCAP material must be unpacked, processed and staged for use.
Delay may occur in the CUL notification of patrons - though there have been no reports that this is a common occurrence.

12. Q: What proportion of requests are never picked up by patrons?
A: It is not clear.
Non-empirical data from Butler Circulation suggests the following breakdown:
60% circulates
30% is examined and returned
10% never touched before return
Circulation data suggests this is accurate.
Further study is feasible but not planned.

13. Circulation Data

14. Q: Is there data on missing books?
A: Yes, and the ReCAP intern is collecting more.
Spring 09 Palmer School intern Mike Bender will work on identifying categories of “missing” books, providing metrics and creating an action plan for resolution.
Broadly defined “missing” means:
Item is not where it is expected to be
Item is unobtainable by patron
Item has incomplete encoding.

15. Missing Books A formal report on “missing” books will be forthcoming
It is tricky to define the scope of “missing” under the ReCAP umbrella
Books are missing within the retrieval/return systems at CUL
Books go missing as a result of CUL processing
Onsite bibliographic control declines proportionally to offsite transfer (blurry line between inventory and bibliographic control)

16. Q: Is the owning library the preferred delivery location?
A: For some departments, yes.
Data suggests that there are “magnet” delivery locations for owned collections: Avery, Butler, East Asian and Music.
Avery receives a disproportionate volume.
Owned Coll./Del. Total
Owned Coll. To Home/Total Owned Del.
Avery
75.38%
93.83%
Biology
63.68%
16.42%
Burke
72.34%
34.45%
Business
71.99%
23.08%
Butler
72.20%
66.91%
Chemistry
56.61%
28.79%
East Asian
92.50%
80.45%
Engineering
56.79%
21.78%
HSL
8.35%
32.65%
Lehman
28.88%
27.05%
Music
89.58%
79.93%
Physics
66.89%
25.16%
Psychology
22.09%
11.27%
Social Work
52.43%
17.55%

17. Q: How has physical delivery volume changed over time to Butler Circ?

18. Butler Deliveries by FY

19. Butler Deliveries as Percentage of Total Deliveries

20. All Delivery Locations (Volume)