WorldCat Local implementation: the impact on interlibrary loan

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of WorldCat Local implementation on interlibrary loan and to suggest some strategies for successful implementation.Design/methodology/approachThe experience of the University of Washington Libraries is described in detail with additional data from other early adopters of WorldCat Local.FindingsThe implementation of WorldCat Local caused a significant increase in the number of interlibrary loan requests, and a change in the type of requests and the demographics of requesters.Originality/valueThe University of Washington Libraries was the first library system to adopt WorldCat Local and now has two years' worth of interlibrary loan data to evaluate. This is the first analysis of those data.