Issues in Commercial Document Delivery
Randall Marcinko · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · 1997
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, DOCUMENT DELIVERY was a cottage industry looking for its niche in the information marketplace.It has grown exponentially as publishers, clients, and vendors grapple with the future of article-based information delivery.The history of document delivery is discussed from a business perspective, and the author examines the most important factors in choosing the best document vendor.Assisted and frustrated by rapid advances in technology, document delivery has matured.The industry has seen large corporations acquire individually owned enterprises, infusing capital and supporting growth to keep pace with client demands.From the perspective of a document delivery pioneer, a number of key issues are examined.Fundamental in the new order is intellectual property.Today's vendor must negotiate with primary publishers, reproduction rights organizations (CCC, CANCOPY, etc.), and authors in an attempt to work within the new and evolving copyright paradigm.Scanning and imaging technology, photocopying, hardware, software, and cost analyses are among the other factors evaluated for their influence on document delivery.