The Impact of Electronic Full-Text Resources on Interlibrary Loan

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study performed on the interlibrary loan patron request records at the library of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, an urban commuter college with a specialized curriculum. The findings suggest that the increasing availability of electronic full-text resources has had a significant impact on the volume of faculty and graduate student interlibrary loan borrowing of nonreturnable, photocopied materials. This appears to be the case across disciplines and regardless of the currency of the needed materials. The downward trend in demand for these materials may be outpacing actual full-text availability. This may suggest that content is being replaced with convenience. This could have implications for reference librarians and their role in the research process. Declining demand may also provide interlibrary loan librarians and their staff opportunities to alter their services and develop new skills.