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Part 3. DocView Usage

The third area in the survey focused on the usage of DocView.

3.1 I use DocView mainly to:
 

Other uses:
 
Receive ILL requests from our patrons

To test the program

ILL document delivery

For members w/o Ariel software

Need Ariel software to view tiff images

Send messages to Ariel machines

Testing for Ariel email transmission

Receive docs sent by other libraries

Analysis:
Certainly, the most common use for DocView is to receive documents sent by the patron’s library. Some libraries used DocView as a replacement for a receive-only Ariel system, in which case they not only could receive documents sent by interlibrary loan, but also use DocView to forward them onto patrons.
 

3.2 I have been using DocView for
 

Analysis:

Three-fourths of the respondents had used DocView for the minimum 45 days when they answered the survey. Some were testers had early versions of DocView for a long time before they received the survey-enabled version of DocView.

 
3.3 During the past month the approximate number of documents I received using DocView was:
 

Analysis:

The statistics for number of documents received is shown below.

Median: 3
Average: 5
Standard Deviation: 5

3.4 During the past month the approximate total number of documents I received from All sources was:
 

Analysis:

The statistics for number of documents received from all sources is shown below. The large standard deviation is due to a few users who reported receiving 200 or more documents.

Median: 10 documents
Average: 63
Standard Deviation: 197

 
3.5 Prior to using DocView, the approximate number of documents I received monthly was:
 

Analysis:

The statistics for number of documents received from all sources is shown below. The large standard deviation is due to a few users who reported receiving 200 or more documents.

Median: 8 documents
Average: 70
Standard Deviation: 208

The answers to questions 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 illustrate a potential trend. Although standard deviations are rather large for the latter two questions due to a few heavy users, if the median is used, then these results show that library patrons having DocView tend to request (receive) more documents. Before having DocView, 8 documents a month were received, whereas after having DocView a median of 10 documents a month were received.

3.6 After receiving a document I usually:
 

Other:

TIFF to PDF via Adobe Capture to web

View and forward to patron

View only

Analysis:
Nearly all users printed the received document. Some view it first prior to printing. Only one user indicated that DocView is used to view only. A second user indicated that DocView is used to view a document, then forward it to a patron. This gives only 2 users out of the 90 survey respondents who never printed their documents. The responses to this question highlight the importance of having a received document converted to paper form. Coupled with responses to questions in Section 7 (DocView Capabilities) that indicate underutilization of features associated with document viewing, it is apparent that users value the ability to print above the ability to view a document on a computer screen.

Only 29 percent kept the document images on the computer for any length of time. Because the average image size of a page scanned at 300 dots per inch resolution results in a compressed image size of about 80 kilobytes, an average 10 page document results in a file size of about 800 kilobytes. Once a few documents are received, disk space may become a consideration in deciding whether to retain documents.