I had bookmarked documentdelivery.com  a while back...   I am just
getting around to doing a cost/benefit study for my ILL activities.  Ive
spent $1,800 since October 1998 on ILL fees... and Im real curious if I
could cut that down somewhat or improve turn around time with a document
delivery vendor.

http://www.docdel.com/

What is the mission of docdel.com?  Our goal is to create a frequently
used, content-rich directory for document suppliers and users. Another
objective is to provide a trusted "virtual place" where relationships
between document suppliers, and between suppliers and end users, can
develop.  It would be nearly impossible to make a complete and
comprehensive document delivery resource list. The mission of docdel.com
is not to archive all document delivery related sites but rather to
function as an organized and valuable tool for suppliers and end users.
Who sponsors docdel.com?  Instant Information Systems
<http://www.docdel.com/info.html> developed and maintains the docdel.com
site as a free resource.  Why are some full-service providers also
listed as specialists?  Document suppliers are listed in the category,
or categories, that are most useful to users of docdel.com. CISTI
(Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information) for
example, is listed as an institution specializing in science and
technology, and as a supplier of Canadian documents.  Here, the term
"full-service" means that a supplier is able to provide any publicly
available document - even if it is outside of their collection.  The
suppliers marketing literature, the libraries their runners pull from,
and their input are all used to determine a listing.    What is docdel?
Docdel is a contraction for the term document delivery. Document
delivery services are used to retrieve the full-text of any publicly
available document. Patents, military specifications, government
reports, journal articles, and dissertations are all examples of what a
document delivery service might supply to a client.  Document delivery
services are often needed by those using commercial databases, many of
which only provide abstracts and not full-text.  There is a wide variety
of document suppliers. Most document delivery services have an area of
focus or a subject specialty. A National Library might only supply
photocopies of material from it's own collection. A Patent provider
might not be able to provide dissertations. Full-Service providers
deliver any publicly available document. Database providers, publishers
and information brokers can also provide full-text documents.  How were
the links compiled?  The URLs listed at docdel.com were accumulated from
several sources in addition to the sponsors decade of experience
providing documents. They came from directories, newsletters, general
Internet searches, discussion list queries, from every listing on the
DocDel lists page and from the feedback of visitors.


Paul Blobaum, Medical Librarian
Silver Cross Hospital           [log in to unmask]
1200 Maple Road                 http://www.silvercross.org
Joliet, IL  60432