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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine interlibrary loan (ILL) requests for open access materials submitted during fiscal years 2012 and 2013 and to consider the implications of open access for resource sharing. Design/methodology/approach – Borrowing requests for open access materials were quantitatively analyzed and compared to total borrowing requests and open access borrowing requests from the previous two fiscal years. Findings – During the period studied, borrowing requests for open access materials increased, while overall requests held steady. The difficulty users have in navigating the online information environment makes it unlikely that ILL requests will decrease significantly due to the growing amount of open access material available. Originality/value – The literature discussing the relationship between open access and ILL has expanded in recent years, but largely focuses on the negative impact of open access on resource sharing. This paper presents an update on previous research and provides contradictory evidence that the number of borrowing requests for open access documents continues to grow. Open access should be embraced as a help to resource sharing. This article is of great value to ILL practitioners looking for effective ways of identifying open access ILL requests.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide preliminary results of the 2011 survey on international interlending conducted by the ALA RUSA STARS International Interlibrary Loan Committee.Design/methodology/approachAn international survey was deployed using SurveyMonkey, an online survey tool, and distributed through various electronic resource sharing discussion lists and personal contacts with international libraries.FindingsThe 2011 survey aimed toward international libraries revealed similar results to those of the Committee's 2007 survey of US libraries. Most international interlending participants both borrow and lend materials internationally. Further analysis will be done focusing on barriers to as well as identification of common practices in international interlending.Originality/valueThis research provides the most recent survey of international interlending practices and will yield potential methods and activities for improving resource sharing globally.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine interlibrary loan requests for open access materials submitted during fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and to determine the impact of open access materials upon fill rate for interlibrary borrowing requests.Design/methodology/approachBorrowing requests for open access materials were quantitatively analyzed and compared to total borrowing requests.FindingsDuring the period studied, borrowing requests for open access materials increased while overall requests held steady. As the number of requests filled with open access documents continues to rise, Indiana University‐Purdue University Indianapolis University Library is able to provide a service to users and cost savings for the library by utilizing this material. The difficulty users have in navigating the online information environment makes it unlikely that interlibrary loan requests will decrease due to the growing amount of open access material available.Originality/valueThe literature discussing the use of open access materials to fulfill ILL requests is limited and largely focuses on educating ILL practitioners about open access and providing suggested resources for locating open access materials. This research paper studies actual requests for open access materials and their impact on interlibrary loan.