1. What is RSCVD?
RSCVD is an international resource sharing (RS) service based in a community of volunteer librarians whose objective is helping libraries to ensure universal and equitable access to information. They use the open source software purpose-designed TALARIA. RSCVD’s mission is to ensure equal access to information, particularly during times of crisis, through a high-quality, open, free, and collaborative document supply service.
2. How sustainable is RSCVD?
This service is based on voluntary cooperation: it is run by and dependent upon volunteer libraries which are willing to share their valuable collections internationally. To reach such a goal, we call for more volunteering libraries to join worldwide. RSCVD will last as long as it will be sustainable by the volunteer libraries.
3. Who runs RSCVD ?
RSCVD is under the auspice of the IFLA DDDRS Committee. It is run by a biennial Steering Committee made up of members of the DDRS Committee, volunteers and a technical advisor.
4. Who can join the RSCVD Community?
Any library in the world as long as it is an Academic, Public, School or Special library at a not-for-profit institution.
5. How can a library become part of the RSCVD Community?
Registration in TALARIA:
1. First, as a LIBRARIAN, you must create your personal account in TALARIA
2. Then you will be directed to the library’s registration page to complete with the information relating to your LIBRARY. Information includes:
- library’s name
- physical address
- institution
- type of library
- the disciplinary sector
- the library identifiers (such as ISIL, OCLC, etc.),
- the institutional email address and phone contacts of the Interlibrary Loan service.
ATTENTION: Notice that there are different records to the LIBRARIANS and to the LIBRARIES. In this way, a library can have several librarians associated.
3. The RSCVD Community manager has to approve your library registration request in order for your library to become active in the community.
Start by creating your account and by registering your library here. You can also register on the RSCVD listserv to participate and discuss on RSCVD issues.
6. How many types of library profiles are in the RSCVD Community?
There are two types of library profiles: Borrowing libraries, that will only request items from other libraries, and Volunteering libraries, which are available to supply the materials, as well as to request. A library may decide to upgrade from a Borrowing to Volunteer profile at any time.
7. How many librarians /interlibrary loan professionals may be associated with a RSCVD’s library?
As many as needed, but only one has to register the library at the first time, and automatically they become the library manager. More managers or library operators may then be added to the same library. (See the Software user manual or Contact us for technical help).
8. What items can be requested?
Any textual materials which can be delivered either electronically or mailed are accepted. RSCVD is a service of electronic document delivery, it is not a service of interlibrary loan, so only non-returnable items (copies) can be requested.
They cannot be requested:
- digital audio and visual materials
- entire books or e-books
- materials that are outside the RS for reasons of copyright or licenses.
9. How many items can be requested?
There are no limits other than good professional practices.
10. How requests are managed? How are the articles ordered?
There are two kind of requests:
- if you have previously located the document in one of the RSCVD libraries, you can do the request to the specific library
- if you don´t find the document, you can do an ‘orphan’ request, which means you send the request in a clip to any RSCVD library that can fulfil it.
11. How can you receive an item?
We are using a built-in Secure Electronic Document Delivery (EDD) for sending digital files, as well as OCLC Article Exchange Service or other equivalent EDD-services. When the item is ready, you will receive a notification to access it with your RSCVD account credentials. The file can be verified and downloaded and then will be removed from the server; files will remain on the server for a maximum of 30 days.
12. How much does it cost?
The service is free of charge for borrowing libraries. Since it is run by volunteering librarians and institutions, a fair behaviour is expected from borrowing libraries.
13. How long will it take to get a requested item?
Volunteering libraries will try to supply the item as soon as possible.
14. Who should you contact if you have other questions?
Please see our Contact us page.