British Library Document Supply Centre uses OCLC IFM service

Citation

(2001), "British Library Document Supply Centre uses OCLC IFM service", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 29 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilds.2001.12229dab.014

British Library Document Supply Centre uses OCLC IFM service

British Library Document Supply Centre uses OCLC IFM service

The British Library Document Supply Centre (BLDSC) has begun to use the OCLC Interlibrary Loan Fee Management (IFM) service. IFM reduces library staff time allocated to processing checks and invoices when charging for interlibrary loan services.

"IFM has been tremendously successful in helping OCLC libraries to manage the costs of interlibrary loan", said Tony Melvyn, OCLC senior consulting product support specialist. "The more libraries that use it, the better we can facilitate cost control for all." "As a large net-lender, BLDSC will significantly decrease its expenses by using this service", Mr Melvyn said. "With IFM, a library can take advantage of a standard billing procedure that lessens the cost of billing and decreases the amount of paperwork."

OCLC developed this fee management system to help reduce the administrative costs for libraries that charge or pay other libraries for interlibrary loans. IFM was introduced in April 1995, and more than 1,450 libraries now use the service. When the IFM service is activated, the borrowing library receives a debit and the lender is issued a credit. OCLC then reconciles debits and credits on a monthly basis and provides credits to the lenders and invoices to the borrowers.

Participating institutions transferred over $7.3 million in lending fees from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001 and saved $20.4 million in processing and invoicing fees over the past year using IFM.

Source: OCLC press release