Abstract
This article details the challenges faced by today's UK-based inter-lending services in terms of fiscal pressures, technological change and changing patron expectations. It examines how recent refurbishment at the British Library has led to an increase in community inter-lending, against a background of a general reduction of the reliance on inter-library loan services. It also considers the perception of the value of inter-lending services by senior management, alongside the impact that online availability of materials has had. It then considers the issues around rights management and licence restrictions for inter-lending imposed by many publishers and suppliers. Finally, it considers the steps for change that inter-lending services need to embrace to meet these challenges.
Highlights
Inter-lending or inter-library loan (ILL) is the time-honoured practice of obtaining or supplying books and reprints for patrons from around the world
It can be seen that the future for UK inter-lending services may be a rocky one, beset by challenges such as restrictive loaning legislation and increased online availability
While inter-lending is a valued service, it does need to continue to evolve, which means up-skilling for staff members and changes to workflows; doing nothing or more of the same is not a viable option
Summary
Inter-lending or inter-library loan (ILL) is the time-honoured practice of obtaining or supplying books and reprints for patrons from around the world. The UK has had a thriving and highly active ILL community. Thanks to union catalogues such as COPAC, as well as the long-established British Library (BL) ILL service, it is easier than ever for services to locate items. Like many other aspects of libraries, inter-lending services currently face challenges. This article aims to provide a snapshot of the UK inter-lending scene as it was in 2011. Throughout this article, ‘inter-lending’ is used to refer to both the practice of obtaining print and electronic reprints and to the traditional loaning of whole books and monograph volumes
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