Interlending and Document Supply in Britain Today

Citation

Line, M.B. (2006), "Interlending and Document Supply in Britain Today", Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 148-148. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilds.2006.34.3.148.1

This book is intended to fill a gap in library literature. As is explained in the Introduction, it arose from a road show for newcomers to the topic organised by the Forum for Interlending (FIL). Various librarians (only two of them men, incidentally) with direct experience in the field were asked to deal with different aspects. The abbreviation IDS, for Interlending and Document Supply, is used; I have argued elsewhere (Line, 2003) that “Remote Document Supply” is preferable, on the grounds that most documents obtained from elsewhere are copied, not lent, and that many items are obtained from commercial sources, not libraries; but old habits die hard, and the editors could always argue that the words “document supply” cover the point.

The approach throughout is straightforward: chapters are almost entirely descriptive and uncritical. This limits the value of the book to staff seeking alternative or optimal solutions to particular problems. It is best for background reading, not for day‐to‐day use.

The account of the history of IDS in the UK is very brief, and I would quibble with a few statements in it. The next chapter, on the British Library's role, by a member of its staff, is much more substantial. That on co‐operation in IDS discusses frameworks and organisations for co‐operation. There are a few pages on professional networking, and a round‐up of IDS “in different settings”, i.e. different types of library; this chapter has some useful case studies.

The following chapter, on different sorts of material, seems to deal with everything (including psychological testing material) but the most commonly requested sort, namely journals, though its Appendix does include union lists of serials. It would have been useful to divide books into English‐language and foreign‐language, since the latter raise quite different questions, and are the category where the fill rate is much the lowest of any main category (the sub‐section on “foreign‐language publications” mainly addresses books needed by immigrants using public libraries).

The chapters on ID management systems and modes of delivery, both by Stephen Prowse, are excellent. So are those on the IDS department, which covers, inter alia, performance indicators, and on copyright. Finally we have a rather rudimentary account of international borrowing and lending, and a look at the future by the two editors. Their opening sentence, that “It is not easy to make accurate predictions about future developments”, is a gross understatement: it is impossible to do more than detect a few trends, along lines that have already started.

I reiterate my general criticism, that too little attention is devoted to the supply of journal articles, which as noted account for the majority of requests (though not in public libraries, towards which there is some bias). Related to this, surprisingly little reference is made to commercial suppliers, or direct (“unmediated”) access by users.

There are references at the end of each chapter, but no general bibliography. The index is adequate, but does not cover references. One complaint I have made of several other books: the glued binding – at any rate in the paperback version I was sent for review – makes it impossible to keep the book open without some mechanical aid (such as two heavy bricks or a woodworking vice). This must be almost as much a nuisance for users as it is for reviewers.

Minor weaknesses apart, this book is to be warmly welcomed, as a concise, well informed and clearly written account of interlending and document supply in the UK. I hope it is widely used, and kept up to date, perhaps in a ring‐bound form.