Keywords
Citation
(1999), "The future of interlending in Australian public libraries", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 27 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilds.1999.12227aab.014
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited
The future of interlending in Australian public libraries
The future of interlending in Australian public libraries
Keywords Australia, Interlibrary lending, Public libraries
The Metropolitan Public Libraries Association (MPLA) of New South Wales, in cooperation with the State Library of New South Wales, held a one-day seminar at Darling Harbour, in Sydney, recently.
One of the major items was the launch of the MPLA Document Delivery Guidelines. The guidelines were developed by a sub-committee of the MPLA. The members of this group were interlibrary loan officers and had the task of looking at document delivery with the aim of improving the service and cooperation between libraries.
The guidelines address major issues facing the interlibrary lending service. These issues include improving document delivery times, reviewing work practices, encouraging the more efficient use of technology and increasing user satisfaction.
The guidelines encourage interlibrary loans to be dealt with at information counters rather than dealing with them as a batch. There are two themes which run through the guidelines; putting the customers first rather than in-house procedures, and taking advantage of new technologies. With this in mind, one of the guidelines states that a library will accept a request directly from another library's patrons without first referring those patrons to their home library. It is believed that such requests will become more common as catalogues are put on the Web.
It is hoped the guidelines will become the standard by which all public libraries in Australia operate and they were expected to be considered by the Country Public Libraries Association.
The guidelines are a realistic response to the many challenges facing public libraries in Australia at the moment. They provide a real opportunity for the library industry to change, yet remain the most important provider of information.
Source: InCite