Spotlight on Service: Electronic Services

University Libraries offers numerous electronic services that make library resources and assistance available 24/7 from virtually anywhere in the world. Below are usage statistics of two popular services that show the value and importance library users place on the virtual aspect of University Libraries.

“Chat with a Librarian”

OhioLINK online chat reference service staffed by librarians throughout the state, including UC librarians.

Number of users by university from 9/03 through 3/04:

• University of Cincinnati: 1,087
• Kent State University: 990
• Ohio University: 948
• Ohio State University: 849
• Wright State University: 543

Total number of users from 1/03 through 3/04: 13,000
Total number of UC users from 1/03 through 3/04: 1,702
Percentage of UC users from 1/03 through 3/04: 13%
Total number of reference questions answered by UC librarians from 9/03 through 12/03: 631
Busiest chat times for UC librarians from 9/03 through 12/03: • 10-11pm: 109 • 1-2pm: 96 • 2-3pm: 80

ILLiad: online interlibrary loan system

Registers Users from 5/03 through 3/04:

• 1,005 users from 101 UC departments
• The Chemistry Department has the most registered users with 47, followed by:
• Biology: 44
• History: 38
• Psychology: 36

Usage from 7/03 through 03/04:

• 4,136 requests were made for materials
• 2,337 requests were made for copies of articles
• 1,799 requests were made for loanable items such as books
  

Source Index