CCC recently sat down for a virtual chat with Judith Fraenkel, Ex Libris Senior Director of Product Management, to discuss the Rapido integrated borrowing solution by Ex Libris and the benefits its new Get It Now Add-on Cloud App brings to library staff.
What are some challenges today facing resource-sharing managers, including librarians and administrators?
One of the biggest challenges this group faces is having a limited internal collection, which can cause students to struggle finding what they need for their papers and may lead them to look to other research solutions outside the library.
To help expand their internal collections, librarians and administrators are adopting resource-sharing solutions more frequently, but these sharing solutions can come with their own challenges, both for librarians and users.
For users, these solutions can be confusing and frustrating, causing high drop-off rates owing to the need to fill out long forms, badly designed user interfaces, and a lack of transparency regarding the status of requests.
For librarians, research-sharing solutions can lead to a large amount of manual work in correcting submitted forms, as well as the tedious and time-consuming process of fulfilling borrowing and lending requests.
What is Rapido by Ex Libris?
Rapido is an integrated borrowing solution born out of the pressing need for librarians to offer a more intuitive borrowing experience to their users. Before Rapido, users would fill out long and confusing forms for which they would be redirected outside of the library’s interface.
Students would also not be able to track the status of their requests and would be left in the dark until they received their items, with some requests only fulfilled after the students’ assignment deadlines.
Rapido solves these issues by integrating the borrowing layer into the discovery journey in the library’s interface. In a few clicks, library patrons can extend their research to the Community collection, and they are presented with different options for delivery. A common example is the choice to either borrow an entire book that will arrive in 5 days, or only the book’s relevant chapters, which will arrive in 24 hours. And once students, submit their borrowing request, a detailed tracking process is automatically activated.
How does Rapido differ from other resource-sharing platforms?
Rapido is an integrated borrowing solution designed for modern library experiences. For users, Rapido acts as an extension of the library collection to provide a simplified borrowing experience.
Instead of looking for an item on the web, searching it on the library’s app, filling in a request form, and waiting for an update, students manage the borrowing experience in a few clicks, without ever leaving the library’s interface. Rapido also provides transparent delivery dates that let users know whether items will arrive in time for their paper or exam, giving them more control over the borrowing process.
For libraries, Rapido extends their collection, not their budget, with automated access to the resources of the Rapido community. In addition, with its automation of the borrowing and lending processes, library staff can manage a higher volume of requests with less effort.
A significant feature of Rapido is its “Cloud Apps Center.” What are Cloud Apps and how do they benefit Rapido users?
Cloud Apps are integrations into the Ex Libris solutions that are created, shared, and used by the Community, for the Community.
This feature leverages community collaboration and offers institutions a way to customize their Ex Libris products and to adapt them to their specific needs while contributing to the continuous improvement of Ex Libris products.
Rapido members can take advantage of Cloud Apps by installing them on their instance of Rapido. Once installed, they can enjoy an enhanced and even more personalized experience.
Recently, CCC and Ex Libris expanded their longstanding partnership to create a Cloud App called the Get It Now Add-on. Could you tell us more about this new Cloud App?
Certainly. The Get It Now Add-on allows library staff to purchase articles within Rapido and deliver them directly to patrons. This Cloud App is both free and easy to use—for each record in their task list, library staff members can see article availability in the Get It Now add-on, as well as the price if the article is available for purchase via Get It Now.
To request content through Get It Now within the new Cloud App, library staff members can simply select each article they need and check the terms of use agreement, at which point a request is sent to CCC. Once an order is processed, staff members receive an email containing a link to the requested content, which they can forward to the patron who made the initial request for viewing or downloading.
What are the benefits of this integration of Get It Now and Rapido and of using the Add-on?
When using the new Cloud App, library staff members can review article pricing and place orders in just two clicks. Orders are processed 24/7 in as little as two minutes, and libraries can maintain control of the process by keeping content requests mediated by their staff.
Get It Now is also the best choice for purchasing articles once a library has exceeded the “rule of five,” since staff members can order high-quality PDFs that arrive in minutes without the extra step of having to report copyright fees.
When should I use Get It Now if I’m a Rapido member?
Get It Now is best used when Rapido cannot find a lending library, meaning that the borrowing library has not been able to fulfill the request for free.
At this stage, if borrowing members have installed the new Cloud App, they will receive a suggestion to purchase the content through Get It Now. The Cloud App will provide information to the library, such as price and availability.
The idea behind this new functionality is to give librarians as many options as possible to fulfill requests from their patrons.
If I already have Rapido, how do I adopt Get It Now and the Add-on?
To begin using the new Cloud App, Rapido customers must first sign an agreement with CCC and create a Get It Now account. Libraries interested in doing so, or those with any questions, can send an email to getitnowsupport@copyright.com.
Are there any incentives if I adopt Get It Now with Rapido?
Yes, CCC has offered to reduce the one-time Get It Now set-up fee by $500 for any Rapido users that adopt Get It Now by May 31st.
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