Innovative services in our Mpilo Medical library: Document delivery services with a modern twist
Document delivered to client
Established originally to serve the students and staff of the University of Zimbabwe, the Mpilo Medical library continues to be involved in the business of offering services to medical and allied professionals. The library has been quick to adopt innovations in communications industry with the aim to improve services for library users. One of the innovation that has been the introduction to library services is the mobile/ online document delivery service for library users.
Need for an innovative service.
This service came about when library staff became aware that current services did not meet some of the patrons needs. A few patrons had expressed a need to have instant access to information in print books with in the library especially at times when they were away from library premises.For example a doctor in a consultation room in the hospital may need to check a drug from BNF book in our premises. It is essential that he prescribe the right drug but he can not leave the client to physically cone to library check drug then go back to consultation room. How then can he get the information he needs in a timely manner?
Another example is of a student who is stuck in class but needs a definition of a word from one of our dictionaries in the library premises. A student doing an assessment needing information to aid in assessment and so on.
or a student who needs a definition from our dictionaries in a class. a tutor who needs a picture to do a demonstration in a lecture and so on.
As a Library we realized that our current set up did not meet such needs of our clients. That is when the idea of the mobile/ online document delivery service was born. It is a simple but effect way of getting information within books in the library premises quickly to clients outside the library premises.
How does it work
The document delivery services works through use of a mobile device with a camera and an internet network. The device can be a mobile phone or tablet as long as it has a camera.1.A client makes a request for information or picture from a specific source or any source with in the library premises.
The book with information needed
2. The library staff retrieve the book, journal or reference item with the required information, then capture it with the camera.
3. Once captured with a camera it is sent instantly to the client through the internet. This can be through Whats-app, or to any emails such as Gmail and Yahoo. As long as the client has a data plan, is on an internet net work, the information is delivered within a short space of time.
The tablet to capture and send information
Why it works well
The beauty of this innovation is that it takes advantage of what is already available to most people such as mobile phones and cameras on mobile devices.
The finished product photo sent to client
A great number of Zimbabweans have access to whatsApp and email services. The library has simply taken advantage of this to provide a service and improve customer services. We did not have to purchase any new equipment. We have always had internet access for our clients. We using this access in other ways.
what innovations are you doing in your library? How did you come up with them?
Comments
Post a Comment