Key takeaways from a recent Choice webinar
Resource sharing has always been about access. But in today’s academic environment, access alone is no longer enough.
Academic libraries today face growing pressure to deliver resource sharing services that are faster, simpler, and easier for users to navigate. Yet many libraries are still working within fragmented systems, manual workflows, and staffing models that make it difficult to meet rising expectations efficiently and sustainably. As user expectations evolve and operational demands increase, libraries are rethinking how resource sharing fits within the broader discovery and fulfillment experience.
These challenges and opportunities were the focus of a recent Choice hosted webinar, Smarter Resource Sharing, Faster Access, featuring perspectives from three academic libraries navigating this shift firsthand. During the discussion, Ellen Knight, Library Services Manager of Resource Sharing at the University of Arizona, Kristine Shrauger, Head of Document Delivery and Resource Sharing at the University of Central Florida, and Loftan Hooker, Head of Access Services at Virginia Commonwealth University, explored how libraries are rethinking resource sharing through the lens of user experience, automation, and sustainability.
Below is a recap of the key themes and insights shared during the webinar.
From legacy workflows to connected ecosystems
For many libraries, resource sharing platforms have been in place for decades. These systems are deeply embedded in daily operations, staff expertise, and institutional memory. Replacing them is not a technical decision alone. It is an organizational one.
Libraries that have undertaken this transition describe a deliberate and methodical process. Rather than starting with technology, they began with questions about outcomes. How easily can users request materials? How much effort does staff spend on repetitive tasks? Where do systems create friction instead of flow?
In several cases, an initial investigation into document delivery or off site storage workflows expanded into a broader rethinking of the entire resource sharing environment. Libraries evaluated not only platforms, but also how well those platforms connected with discovery, fulfillment, and circulation systems already in use.
What emerged was a clear preference for approaches that reduce handoffs between systems and embed requesting directly into the discovery experience. When resource sharing becomes a natural extension of discovery rather than a separate destination, barriers begin to fall.
Designing for the patron experience
One of the most consistent themes across libraries that modernized their resource sharing workflows is the impact on users.
When requesting is integrated directly into discovery, users no longer need to navigate multiple interfaces or manage separate accounts. They search, identify an item, and place a request in the same environment. Availability, delivery time, and lending conditions are visible upfront, setting clear expectations from the start.
This transparency changes behavior. Libraries report fewer status inquiries and fewer incomplete requests. Users feel more in control because they can see what is happening and when to expect results. The experience aligns more closely with the digital services users encounter outside the library, without compromising academic rigor or policy requirements.
In practical terms, this has been translated into higher engagement. Libraries have observed significant increases in borrowing and document delivery requests after simplifying the request process. Importantly, these increases did not overwhelm staff because automation handled a greater share of straightforward transactions.
Automation that elevates staff expertise
Automation is often misunderstood as a reduction of human involvement. In practice, libraries adopting more automated resource sharing workflows report the opposite.
By reducing manual mediation for routine requests, staff gain time to focus on the work that requires judgment, experience, and problem solving. Complex citations, unusual formats, and difficult to source materials still need human attention. Automation simply ensures that staff expertise is applied where it adds the most value.
Libraries also report improvements in training and onboarding. Staff familiar with modern web interfaces can become productive more quickly when systems are unified. This has proven particularly important for evening and weekend coverage, as well as during periods of staff transition or retirement.
The result is not only faster turnaround times, especially for digital requests, but also improved morale. Staff spend less time reacting to volume and more time engaging intentionally with challenging requests.
Measuring what matters
Rather than focusing solely on total request volume, many libraries define success using metrics tied to experience and sustainability.
Turnaround time emerged as a critical indicator. Libraries saw substantial reductions in digital delivery times, even in environments that were already using quick fulfillment services. Fill rates remained high or improved, despite operating within more curated lending networks.
Unmediated request percentages also increased. With more complete metadata captured at the point of request, fewer items required staff intervention before being routed to potential lenders. This efficiency benefited both borrowing and lending libraries by reducing unnecessary cycles.
On the lending side, libraries gained greater control over what materials were requestable. By defining lending policies more precisely, they received fewer requests for items that could not be fulfilled, resulting in higher fill rates and less wasted effort across the network.
Community as a catalyst for change
One factor consistently cited as essential to success was community.
Libraries did not navigate these transitions alone. Peer institutions shared insights, configurations, and lessons learned through formal pods, working groups, and informal networks. This collaborative environment helped libraries move beyond attachment to familiar systems and imagine new possibilities for resource sharing.
Community engagement also shaped implementation strategies. Libraries emphasized the importance of communication with internal stakeholders, documenting decisions, and creating feedback loops before and after launch. Transparency reduced anxiety and built trust across departments.
Perhaps most importantly, libraries recognized that no implementation is perfect from day one. What matters is having the people, processes, and community in place to adapt and improve over time.
Rethinking what resource sharing can be
As resource sharing systems become more integrated, libraries are beginning to explore new use cases.
Some are reexamining the balance between borrowing and purchasing, particularly for electronic materials. Others are extending requests into special collections or exploring how shared systems can support accessibility and open access initiatives.
These experiments point to a broader shift. Resource sharing is no longer just a back end service. It is becoming a strategic layer in the academic ecosystem, connecting discovery, access, and collaboration in ways that reflect how research and learning actually happen today.
Looking ahead
Modernizing resource sharing is not about abandoning what has worked in the past. It is about aligning systems and workflows with current expectations and future demands.
Libraries that take this step thoughtfully are seeing tangible benefits. Faster access for users. More sustainable workloads for staff. Stronger collaboration across institutions. And a foundation that supports continued innovation as networks grow and evolve.
In a landscape defined by change, smarter resource sharing is not simply a technical upgrade. It is an investment in the library’s ability to deliver access at scale, with clarity, and with care. Watch the webinar on demand to listen to the conversation between Ellen Knight, Library Services Manager of Resource Sharing at the University of Arizona, Kristine Shrauger, Head of Document Delivery and Resource Sharing at the University of Central Florida, and Loftan Hooker, Head of Access Services at Virginia Commonwealth University.
