INTERLENDING AND DOCUMENT SUPPLY: A REVIEW OF RECENT LITERATURE: XIII

Abstract

The review begins by looking at the current debate in Australia over charges for interlending. Apart from the practical issue of raising money, the debate has broadened into a political one about charging for publicly funded services. One solution suggested is that the public library sector operates one system and the academic another. The problem of cancellations and resource sharing is examined in Belgium, where it has been planned; Australia, where it has not; and Hungary, where plans are urgently sought. A recent ICSTI report highlights the role of serials in document delivery and attempts to provide a methodology by which data on use can be monitored without involving high expenditure. A detailed study of interlending in Southern Africa emphasizes the amount of interdependence in the region and provides data not available previously on patterns of traffic. The origins of ILL requests can provide useful data for collection development but their diversity is emphasized by a little survey from the USA. Actually moving documents about is a matter given little attention, but a study of the UK system provides a valuable insight into how this is done in a compact geographical area, whereas in France the chaotic postal regulations cause numerous problems. The application of a theory from population studies to ILL looks attractive but is largely untested and founded on doubtful premises. The involvement of state agencies in the USA when setting up ILL systems varies and a contrast is drawn between the situation in Massachusetts, where the Library Board have taken the lead, and a more general study of state involvement which sees that role as largely to encourage and provide a suitable ‘atmosphere’ in which co‐operation can develop. The study of Southern Africa leads to the development of the idea that the national bookstock should be built up in response to demand rather than availability, a theory supported by the reported growth in international demand from Bulgaria as it expands its economy. Finally, for those feeling depressed by the type of work they do or their status, there is encouragement in a paper dealing with just these problems and concluding that the ILL librarian is a vital part of the whole information network.