For any material not held in its collections, the University of Malta Library operates an Overseas Document Supply Service which offers interlibrary borrowing of books for periods of up to twelve weeks, and a photocopying service for copies of journal articles.
Both services rely heavily on the excellent facilities of the British Library Document Supply Centre (BLDSC) in West Yorkshire, U.K. Some documents are also obtained from other libraries, mainly national libraries in Italy, France, Germany, and elsewhere, depending on the place of publication of the requested item.
As a time saver, requests to BLDSC are transmitted online through the standard ARTTEL & REPLIES INTRAY facility, a system which ensures quick transmission of requests as well as an immediate reply as to whether BLDSC holds the required document. Speedier services are also available through the British Library Document Supply Centre Urgent Action Service.
Standard BLDSC prices currently stand at:
- €20.00 per request (VAT included) for journal articles irrespective of pagination
- €32.60 per book loan
ONLINE SEARCHING SERVICES
Online searching opens up to the researcher an extensive range of specialised databases, with millions of references in any subject. Indexes to academic literature, both journal and monograph, in whatever area of specialisation, and spanning long numbers of years, are thus made available to the scholar.
The University of Malta Library subscribes to DIALOG as part of its online searching services. With its 500 databases - some of them with abstract or full text coverage - DIALOG covers millions of references from a multitude of disciplines, with an emphasis on the sciences. This specialised service is accessible via qualified and trained staff.
For assistance, please contact the section on telephone number 2340-2010 or by email.
19 March 2010
http://www.um.edu.mt/library/services/ods
