From fee to free

Abstract

Interlibrary loan (ILL) service has always been considered as a special service within the library offer. As such, it is customary to find that ILL has its own cost policy and is not a free service for registered users. At UT2J university, ILL is free, both for end users and for other ILL services that request materials from our collections. Indeed, by providing free ILL for other libraries, we are able to provide free ILL for our staff and students. The fact of eliminating the revenue generated by lending materials also eliminates the expenses related to borrowing requests thanks to the principle of reciprocity. This economic model is virtuous, guarantees equal access to the documentation to all users, and allows us to promote our collections at a national level.