Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists boosts clinical research access, fulfilling up to 85% of user requests in network

Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) enhanced access to global clinical evidence, helping clinicians and trainees get the information they need faster and more reliably.

OCLC services used:

• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan
• EZproxy
• WorldShare Management Services
• WorldShare License Manager

For the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA), timely access to high‑quality medical literature is essential. Supporting clinicians, researchers, and trainees requires a library service that can deliver specialised content quickly and reliably.

ANZCA had already implemented WorldShare® Management Services (WMS) and Hosted EZproxy, creating a strong foundation for discovery and access. When changes in the Australian national document delivery landscape disrupted existing workflows, the library took the opportunity to modernise its interlibrary loan approach.

"We had a decision to make about how we were going to move forward with document delivery," said Rhinnai Sika, Library Technician at ANZCA. "And we needed something that could be easily integrated into our existing systems and workflows. All signs pointed to WorldShare Interlibrary Loan."

Expand access beyond local networks

Prior to adopting WorldShare Interlibrary Loan, ANZCA relied on regional document delivery services, with requests limited to libraries within Australia and New Zealand.

"We could only get things from within Australia and New Zealand before," Sika said. "Now we can get articles and chapters from all over the world. That's made things very, very simple for us."

By connecting to a global network, ANZCA can now access a wider range of materials to support clinical practice and education.

Speed up delivery for clinical needs

In a clinical and professional education environment, speed matters.

"It's a real time saver," said Sika. "I typically find what I need within four days, which is our usual turnaround. Often, it's even quicker."

Library Manager, John Prentice, added: "We've also been able to fully integrate WS ILL at a technical level – which was impossible with the new national alternative, which would have had us back to manually entering request details. Given our volume of requests, that would have had a big impact on the time it takes us to process requests – further impacting turnaround times. With WS ILL that process has been reduced to a few clicks."

Improved turnaround times have helped ensure users receive the information they need without delay.

Simplify workflows and reduce costs

WorldShare Interlibrary Loan has also simplified day‑to‑day workflows.

"It's very, very simple to use," Sika said. "The whole process has just been really easy—from finding which libraries hold what we need to understanding how quickly we can get it."

The implementation was straightforward, with staff able to adopt the service quickly following training.

Cost savings have been another benefit. "We used to pay quite a lot per article or chapter," Sika noted. "Now we have so many more free options, so we're saving quite a bit of money. "

And use of the automation has also helped in this regard.

"We've been able use the inbuilt automation to create custom workflows to prioritise free-to-supply networks," said Prentice. "So, it's saving us both time and money on that front".

Strengthen collaboration and connectivity

WorldShare Interlibrary Loan has enabled ANZCA to connect more closely with the global library community.

"There's definitely been interest from other libraries," said Sika. "We're encouraging more organisations to join. It benefits everyone when more libraries are involved."

For ANZCA, adding resource sharing to its existing OCLC services has created a more connected, efficient workflow.

"I just find everything really easy to use," Sika said. "It's a great service that keeps us connected as libraries worldwide."