Search

There is a trend among academic libraries to increase collaboration between interlibrary loan and collection development to improve patron access to materials and build library collections. Instead of borrowing returnable materials, interlibrary loan may initiate purchases that will become part of the library's collection. This can mean anything from an organizational change combining interlibrary loan with the acquisitions unit or creating new workflows to facilitate purchasing. At the University of North Texas Libraries, the Interlibrary Loan office is a unit of the Access Services Department. Buying instead of borrowing for the ILL unit began with a Demand Driven Acquisitions (DDA) program and has expanded with the establishment of the University of North Texas Libraries' access-based collection development policy. Interlibrary Loan provides “Just-In-Time” (JIT) access to materials not available through regular interlibrary loan sources and adds relevant materials to the Libraries' collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, Rider University Libraries' collections were unavailable to the entire Rider Community due to an executive order, but also because of Phase 1 library construction. Rider University Libraries' interlibrary loan staff used open resources, controlled digital lending, and purchase on request to overcome the barriers to only being able to deliver digital resources. This paper documents both Rider University Libraries' successes and failures in delivering materials digitally during the COVID-19 pandemic and Phase 1 construction, challenges that have been shared by many libraries in the past and that could face any library in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing on-demand streaming video content for course reserves remains a formidable challenge. Multitudinous methods for acquiring and accessing content hamper the flexibility of any such service. This article reviews what one library has done to make streaming media, especially streaming video, available to faculty in the collection and how this foundation will be used to support electronic reserves service in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2004, the Social Sciences and Humanities Library at the University of California-San Diego implemented restaurant-style pagers to notify waiting patrons that the reserve collection materials they needed were available. The authors describe the university libraries' process for implementing the pagers and the success staff has had with pagers over the past four years, list other libraries that use pagers, suggest other library uses for pagers, and offer guidance to institutions that might consider this service enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Section 108 of the United States Copyright Law. The rights of reproduction and distribution under this section apply to a copy or phonorecord of an unpublished work duplicated in facsimile form solely for purposes of preservation and security or for deposit for research use in another library or archives of the type described by clause (2) of subsection (a), if the copy or phonorecord reproduced is currently in the collections of the library or archives. The right of reproduction under this section applies to a copy or phonorecord of a published work duplicated in facsimile form. solely for the purpose of replacement of a copy or phonorecord that is damaged, deteriorating, lost, or stolen, if the library or archives has, after a reasonable effort, determined that an unused replacement cannot be obtained at a fair price.

The article is part of a special issue on electronic reserve collections in academic libraries. It presents question and answers from both college students and teachers on the management of electronic reserves.

Government publications contain a wealth of information. In an effort to increase the usage of these important publications, the staff at Bierce Library, University of Akron, use the following strategies to integrate and advertise government publications into the library activities and the community: (1) cataloging the publications so they appear on the local online catalog as well as the statewide catalog, (2) integrating them into the bibliographic instruction program, (3) listing them in pathfinders as sources on various topics, (4) making them a focus of “hot topics” such as health care reform, (5) presenting and promoting special workshops on specialized government databases such as the National Trade Data Bank and GPO Access (using the flyer approach), (6) visiting your Congressional Representative's Office to increase awareness of the information available in Depository Libraries to his/her constituents, (7) discussing these avenues at state groups, (8) including these methods in conferences, and (9) joining forces with other Documents Librarians in the area to create a depository brochure announcing hours, services, and highlights of each depository collection, and making this information available on a web page. The above strategies are generic enough that libraries can easily implement them into their programs. The effect of these strategies is measured by an increased use of government publications. This can be monitored with circulation statistics and use of electronic products. The results are inconclusive if only circulation statistics are used. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Fall 2020, Lasell University trained a student assistant to handle the physical aspects of interlibrary loan lending while the interlibrary loan librarian was unable to return to campus due to COVID-19 concerns. This article outlines the breakdown of duties between librarian and student worker and discusses how the student was trained and supervised remotely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries worldwide were physically shut down, although remotely quite active, for some or much of 2020 in reaction to the COVID-19 virus sweeping the globe. This happened mid-semester for many academic libraries, as the pandemic hit the U.S. and transmission rates started to rise in March 2020. Yale University needed to quickly pivot a heavily physical course reserves service - print books and physical video material held at library service points, - to all-electronic formats. Using data driven methods, Yale was able to match print holdings on physical reserve with digital items held in or able to be licensed through various fulfillment methods. This article outlines that process and provides suggestions for further development of Course Reserves services in remote learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many libraries worldwide, the interlibrary loan departments at three institutions in the state of Georgia (Georgia Southern University, Kennesaw State University, and Valdosta State University) experienced an upheaval of traditional workflows and expectations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike many libraries, though, these three libraries were instructed by their administrations to remain open to patrons throughout the pandemic. In order to continue to meet the needs of their patrons and ILL partners worldwide, these departments leaned on the support of their colleagues and the larger resource sharing community. Staff health and safety risks caused by COVID-19 required new considerations for staff scheduling, building access, service levels, and copyright. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical character recognition (OCR) is used to identify typed, printed and handwritten text, and encode it in a digital format. OCR has been used in libraries since the 1990s, but only recently have libraries started using it in interlibrary loan (ILL). This study focused on seeing if OCR could be applied to scans made in an ILL unit and sent to patrons while incurring minimal costs and requiring few new technical skills. Copies of 20 articles requested through ILL were used to test the process and accuracy of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC in creating searchable PDFs. The process involved calculating the accuracy of automatic OCR results, accuracy after manual corrections were made, and noting any problems that arose. The results showed that searchable PDFs could be created using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC that were 95% accurate or more in 12 of the 20 test files. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC had difficulties processing some information and text, but this provides a good starting point for an ILL unit desiring to provide their patrons with accessible materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interlibrary loan (ILL) services receive requests for resources that are available locally and form a major portion of canceled requests. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between requests canceled due to local availability and three aspects to identify impacts on ILL. The authors explored library service aspects such as collection format, the link resolver knowledge base, and discovery system functionality for potential influence on requests for locally available resources. Quantitative methods were used to identify evidence of different aspects' impact through analysis of ILL borrowing request data. The most important finding was that the discovery system had impact on ILL services by improving retrievability of locally available resources published recently. The results suggest that a modern discovery system can efficiently provide more relevant results sourced from a carefully curated set of authoritative resources, save users' time to access available materials, and reduce library staff members' time and effort. This study will be helpful to libraries through its analysis of library services that impact the cancelation of ILL requests due to local availability and how those services may influence service improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes how OCLC's Interlibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database (ILLiad) software handles copyright compliance. Research conducted at one institution identified errors in the 2016 system generated report. The entire data set for articles was extracted for articles for the calendar year 2017. In running the ILLiad copyright report, a number of transactions were identified that should not have been included based on the National Commission on New Technology Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) guidelines. These transactions had been submitted to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) for payment. The report was generated following the OCLC and Atlas Systems Incorporated guidelines. The objective of the research was to identify how the report was configured and identify any issues that may be a direct result of the ILLiad or report software in comparison to title 17, section 108 of the United States Code and the CONTU guidelines. Subsection 108(g) (2) of the bill identifies, among other things, limits on interlibrary understandings for photocopying. It prohibits systematic photocopying of copyrighted materials but allows interlibrary arrangements for the library that receives copies as long as there are not so many that they would replace a subscription to the publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texas A&M University (TAMU) Libraries' free "Get it for me" service is popular and appreciated by its students and faculty alike. Nevertheless, we noticed many items were not picked up after receipt. In the spring semester of 2016, for each item not picked up, we emailed our customers to ask why they did not come to pick up their requests. Based on the data, we made service policy changes in the summer semester of 2016. As a result we saw a decrease in not picked up rate since. This paper explains the methods we used to achieve this improved results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What happens when libraries begin to use ILL to request items that they already own in their home collection? The goal of this multiyear study involving 9565 ILL requests to the Joint Library Facility in Bryan, Texas, is to examine whether or not the shared storage facility was becoming an ILL hub for some libraries. This paper reports the results of the study and how individual requesting and lending interlibrary loan policies and procedures might be altered to address these developing issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2010 and 2015, interlibrary loan request rates at Albertsons Library at Boise State University were observed to be in decline. This study details the efforts to explore this trend and to determine a cause using existing data available through the OCLC Atlas ILLiad Web Reports interface. A simple but effective method to analyze these substantial reports is presented and practical examples of analysis conducted at Albertsons Library are discussed. By looking at factors such as usage patterns, new user registrations, and cancelation language, the decrease in borrowing and lending requests was confirmed and attributed primarily to decreases in graduate student ILLiad registrations and a lending ebook deflection implemented in 2015. Additional, focused qualitative assessment and updates to user interfaces were recommended as a result of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is an important service point in the academic library, a channel through which patrons can ask for specific books and expect that those books will be made available to them. Examining the methods in which libraries handle those requests may reveal new workflows wherein ILL can influence the direction of the library's permanent acquisitions. ILL data is able to drive immediate purchases of user-requested titles but also more complex models of acquisition. By comparing circulation rates and expenditures against traditional book-approval plans, acquisitions departments may also measure the financial effectiveness of purchase-on-demand programs and use them to both supplement and supplant those approval plans. At the core of Lehigh University's efforts is an internal library philosophy called “Flipped Interlibrary Loan” (F.I.L.L.), by which ILL can and should inform permanent acquisitions for the library collection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Determining if items are available is a major part of interlibrary loan work. Many libraries try to minimize staff time spent on determining availability by investing in circulation-based resource-sharing systems that require a major investment in time and funds, and then work only for the libraries within the circulation-based system. The IDS Project created a new solution, a Lending Availability Service, to automatically determine availability through software that is integrated within the resource-sharing software ILLiad. The Lending Availability Service determines availability for any requests a library receives, and it can automate portions of the ILL workflow that require determining whether an item is on the shelf or in a collection that can be lent. The Lending Availability Service is highly configurable and was designed with ILL workflows in mind. It overcomes problematic areas in workflows to allow for highly optimized resource sharing through automatic lookups of availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users’ expectations of interlibrary loan services have been shaped by their experiences with search engines that provide uncomplicated interfaces and immediate full-text delivery. Libraries must not only allow for discovery of materials but must also meet users’ expectations that mirror their experiences in these online environments. The continual challenge for libraries is to provide ever-faster delivery times, both through innovative services and by taking advantage of technological advances. Even though delivery times continue to decrease, the user satisfaction gap that exists between immediate electronic content delivery upon discovery and waiting to receive materials from interlibrary loan remains. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The results of a recently conducted study of interlibrary loan fee-based borrowing requests are presented in this article. The study examined 3,074 borrowing requests completed over a three-year period from January 2007 to December 2009. Statistics were analyzed to understand patron behavior in submitting requests and the types of materials being requested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Florida, the State University Libraries deans have chosen to take a two-pronged approach to addressing limited physical capacity in their facilities: developing a statewide storage facility and deduplicating print serial titles. The initial efforts in the state have focused on titles included in the Journals in Storage electronic collections. Specifically, the collaboration between the University of Florida and Florida State University is the focus of this article. The background information, efforts made, lessons learned, and jobs still to be done will each be given more attention, with the intent of providing a starting point for other institutions considering similar initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of library users attempting to use interlibrary loan to obtain items that are already available at their home libraries appears to be an ongoing problem among academic libraries. This study examines the problem in the context of a midsized academic library and compares the results to those of two previous, similar studies. Possible reasons for the phenomenon are discussed along with ideas for addressing the problem. The idea that this may represent an opportunity to satisfy an unmet demand for document delivery of locally held items is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitization of content generated by those in academia—be they professors, lecturers, or administrative staff—has had a significant impact on the amount of space needed for storage on college and university campuses. What this paper attempts to address is some of the emerging technologies used for the storage of digital content and how these technologies have evolved since their origin with the American Memory Project in 1989, which is widely credited with starting the digital revolution in storage that is commonplace in offices and centers of higher education throughout the United States. The library's role in developing electronic storage for their own archival materials has had an ancillary effect in the field of digitization. The advances made by some libraries in creating more expansive storage devices that hold content other than text has benefited those in other fields as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interlibrary loan borrowing statistics at Foley Center Library at Gonzaga University far exceeded those at other institutions in its affinity group. This study details an effort to explore the disparity by examining policies, statistics, and trends. A review of affinity group institutions' interlibrary loan Web sites and a follow-up survey revealed minimal policy differences. Other factors examined included increases in electronic databases, enrollment, and usage patterns. The increased usage of interlibrary loan was warranted, yet workload management was still an issue. Subsequent procedure modifications resulted in a 23% reduction in article borrowing requests over a six-month period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of streaming audio databases offers professors and libraries many options for the electronic delivery of “listening” assignments. Many libraries subscribe to streaming audio databases such as Naxos Music Library, Smithsonian Global Sound, or Classical Music Library. They enable online access to audio recordings and occasionally to the text materials that accompany these releases. The target audience for many of these databases is libraries: users within libraries may link to individual tracks, complete works, entire albums, and playlists via static URLs. Professors may embed these links into their courseware (e.g., WebCT, Blackboard, or ANGEL course sites) or work with libraries to use recordings from streaming audio databases via reserve lists. In addition to ease of use, correctly addressing copyright issues is a by-product of use of these databases. These databases enable constant access to content over the Internet and guarantee certain compliance with copyright law. Napster and Ruckus, two popular digital music sites that offer subscriptions directly to individuals instead of libraries, have been used similarly by some professors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Interlibrary Loan Department is authorized to make immediate purchasing decisions for inexpensive items to speed delivery of requested materials to patrons and to enhance patron satisfaction. Criteria for purchasing, rather than borrowing materials for patrons through interlibrary loan are outlined. The practices and procedures of several other institutions about buying rather than borrowing in the interlibrary loan environment are reviewed. Copyright guidelines are another factor that affects decisions about borrowing or purchasing articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to outline the "best common practices" at Regent University Library, and share survey data illustrating their effectiveness. Also discussed is how transitioning from an entirely graduate university to a university serving both graduates and undergraduates has influenced library services. The new constituency will increase interlibrary loan transactions and test the library's practices. Providing quality interlibrary loan service to a growing academic population requires innovative ideas and practices while keeping the workflow streamlined. New programs implemented over the past several years include books on demand and providing more electronic books and journals. A growing distance education student population has led to paying for library cards for academic libraries located near students' homes and permitting them to return materials to satellite campuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instead of borrowing a book for a patron via interlibrary loan, many libraries buy the requested book. The process is often faster and, sometimes cheaper, than interlibrary loan. A discussion of workflows and information about purchasing faculty requests instead of borrowing items is included. The discussion emphasizes successful strategies to solve the problem of the overlap of responsibilities and potential conflicts among collection subject selectors, acquisitions staff and interlibrary loan staff. Discussion focuses on implementing purchase on demand once the library has determined that Direct Purchase is part of the Interlibrary Loan process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New technologies and decreasing demand for interlibrary loan have led to speculation that a librarian may no longer be needed to manage an effective interlibrary loan operation. This article describes how interlibrary loan librarians have been applying their skills to more administrative tasks that contribute to the overall effectiveness of the library. It also describes new services and enhancements to traditional interlibrary loan services, but still requires a librarian's bibliographic skills. This article will also highlight some of the ways that interlibrary loan librarians have changed or enhanced traditional interlibrary loan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health care professionals often request information delivered stat. Patient treatment is urgent. Any hospital library, large or small, that uses Interact document delivery (IDD) systems can place information in the hands of the health professional faster. Libraries that use Internet document delivery technologies can provide health care professionals with information more quickly. Ultimately, it could reduce the length of a hospital stay and reduce health care costs. However, hospital libraries are faced with significant barriers that prevent them from utilizing, electronic document delivery systems, docMD successfully overcame barriers and allowed small and/or rural hospital libraries to take advantage of the benefits of electronic document delivery that larger libraries have enjoyed for over a decade. It provides health professionals affiliated with smaller hospitals an equal opportunity to access professional literature quickly in order to make quicker, well-informed patient care decisions. The docMD pilot project investigated, eliminated the barriers and provided IDD services to eleven small and rural hospital libraries using a centralized document mediation center. This paper provides background information, describes the creation of the docMD service delivery model and discusses possible future project outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapter 7 discusses additional considerations an ILL department supervisor might face: handling requests from far-flung distance education students, providing a library photocopy service, or selecting a document supplier for unmediated ILL. The unique challenges of medical libraries are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular for their ability to provide full-text linking, OpenURL link servers, such as SFX, can also interface with online catalogs and interlibrary loan modules, giving library users the ability to locate articles in print or request items not owned by their local institution. This article examines four different approaches to integrating print holding information into SFX, detailing the advantages and drawbacks of each approach. The ultimate goal is to provide end-users with comprehensive, dynamic access to the full range of core library services, including online full-text, print materials, and interlibrary loan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers must choose between many sources when obtaining journal articles. University of Toledo faculty and graduate students in the sciences, pharmacy, and engineering were surveyed to ascertain their preferences in journal article formats and features, and their awareness, frequency of use, and preference ranking of four services: traditional interlibrary loan, electronic journals, and faxes from either a storage depository or the UnCover document delivery service. Speed and print quality topped the desired features; faxing was the least desirable format. Electronic journals and interlibrary loan were the most used services, though there are indications that interlibrary loan is used reluctantly. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article describes a recent project at University College London to explore the feasibility of providing a service to improve access to electronic course materials. Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the project was not simply to set up an electronic reserve. By undertaking a needs analysis of academic departments, the project was able to tailor the design of the new service appropriately. While new initiatives in libraries are often established using project funding, this work was unique in being research-led. It also involved collaboration between library and computing staff and learning technologists. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Electronic document delivery has gained popularity over the past several years. While Ariel has become the standard software used to transmit articles between libraries, its features are limited in the ability to provide articles to distance learning students. This article discusses some of the benefits of using DocMorph, a free service offered by the National Library of Medicine. DocMorph converts many standard file formats into pdf files. DocMorph can also be used as a workaround for Ariel's current lack of support for smtp authentication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the 1990s, electronic reserves services rapidly developed in academic libraries following the emergence of the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web, as an information delivery tool. Because similar technologies are used to develop and access digital libraries and electronic reserves, the implications for the evaluation of electronic reserves go beyond traditional service satisfaction levels. User responses to electronic reserves are an indicator of the acceptance and technical challenges of digital libraries. As we examine user reactions, inferences can be made on such topics as user technical skills, institutional networking infrastructure and the electronic communication process in instruction. These inferences give us greater insights into the future use, satisfaction level and technical demands in the use of digital libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Online Courier is a service provided by UPS Document Exchange to deliver files via the World Wide Web. The Biomedical Information Service at the Bio-Medical Library of the University of Minnesota has been using Online Courier for electronic delivery in PDF format of journal articles. Reasons for selecting Online Courier, an overview of the software features, and details of our experience with it are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Management software for Interlibrary Loan (ILL) departments helps to streamline ILL processes and assists in efficient, paperless record keeping. The Countway Library of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (Countway) seeks a management software package that will be able to manage diverse requests from OCLC and DOC-LINE, and be equally efficient on the lending side as it is on the borrowing side. This article describes a selection of features, which would achieve this goal. The article includes features of a select number of products that have been reviewed thus far. The article gives advice on how to assess management software, and what features to look for when considering ILL management software. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines the potential for electronic full-text journal articles to reduce the level of traditional interlibrary borrowing requests typically placed at a large academic research library. With the growth in availability of electronic full-text journal articles and improvements in accessing and using this format, library users have access to journal articles not physically owned by their institution's library. This fact may lead to a reduced demand for photocopied journal articles typically requested through interlibrary borrowing departments. This study begins by examining the recent literature on this topic, including several which have measured the impact that electronic full-text resources have had on their interlibrary borrowing levels. This is followed by a description of the methodology used in this particular study and a presentation of the results. The final section offers an explanation of these results as well as some conclusions regarding the potential for electronic full-text to reduce the amount of photocopy requests placed through interlibrary borrowing offices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A 28 item annotated bibliography of books and articles concerning the future and importance of libraries. Although the oldest item is dated 1994, most of the citations are from 1998 and 1999. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Describing her experience of establishing an Electronic Document Delivery Service at the library of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), the author discusses the various issues, which significantly effect the net cost, delivery time and management process of providing such a service by a library in Pakistan. While presenting multiple options leading to an effective solution, the advantages and disadvantages of each option have been highlighted, and their implications, with particular reference to Pakistani libraries, have been discussed. The various points to be considered by Pakistani Librarians, while selecting a commercial Document Provider, have also been discussed. In the end, the author discusses the potential of using the Electronic Document Delivery facility as a time-saving and cost-effective tool for Resource Sharing among libraries in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ARL interlibrary loan statistics and most other interlibrary loan cost studies provide only the mean and median unit cost. The author suggests that future statistical survey include marginal cost in addition to unit cost. Another important factor that is not included in the current interlibrary loan cost studies is the copyright fee, or royalty fee. When the sixth article from a journal is requested for copying by a library in the same year, a copyright fee is incurred, and it can be more than $50 per article. However, the copyright fee is not listed as a separate category in any of the current interlibrary loan cost studies. Since the copyright fee is an additional cost to the borrowing library, it is a marginal cost, not a fixed cost (such as staff salaries). Zhou's formula to include the copyright fee into the marginal cost study is presented, and the marginal analysis and the copyright fee are incorporated into the interlibrary loan cost study for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As an alternative to ownership, more libraries are employing the services of commercial document delivery suppliers to obtain needed items on demand. Keeping track of the different services can be time-consuming. A World Wide Web page was developed to track similar information about various suppliers. The page is located at (http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/pnr/docsupp/). This article provides the history of why this page exists, how it was created and what kind of information it provides. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Utah Slate University Library examined the feasibility of providing unmediated document delivery services using EBSCOdoc to ten faculty members at USU in the Spring of 1996. EBSCOdoc was selected for the supplier because of the large number of journal titles available. The participants were able to order articles on the WWW, or by fax. Articles were delivered directly to the faculty. After the pilot project, the faculty were asked to complete a survey, that would evaluate the services provided by EBSCOdoc. Survey results identified the strengths of EBSCOdoc as ease of ordering and timely delivery. Some faculty were unsatisfied with the quality of faxing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service is one of the services provided by libraries that offers users a way to access library resources beyond their affiliated libraries. Additionally, it allows participating libraries to share and maximize their resources. This work examines the ILL process used by libraries in Singapore and proposes that the existing paper-based manual system be replaced by a Web-based ILL system. Such a Web-based system has been successfully designed and implemented at the Nanyang Technological University. The paper presents an overview of the system requirements and architecture, implementation details and demonstrates the feasibility and advantages of the new system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]