Scholar Rediscovers Interlibrary Loan Service

An article appeared on the website of the Chronicle of Higher Education last week written by a Fulbright scholar studying at University College Cork in Ireland.  While conducting research, she discovered that European libraries and their American counterparts treat interlibrary loan (ILL) service very differently.  ILL can sometimes be a costly service, especially to libraries with limited budgets.  As the writer points out later in the article, many, if not the majority of academic libraries in the United States often subsidize the cost of ILL service while many international libraries pass the cost along to those requesting items.

ILL is often a scholar’s best friend as it provides access to materials worldwide, and expands a library’s local collection exponentially.  ILL service is one of the aspects I appreciate most about my job as the Head of Access and Delivery Services as the users are often very appreciative of being able to access materials at other institutions that would not be available otherwise.  The link below goes directly to the article!  Enjoy!

http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2007/03/2007031401c/careers.html 

March 21, 2007 | Filed Under ILL-L, Libraries, UR Libraries 

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