Collection development using interlibrary loan borrowing and acquisitions statistic

Paul Zurawski

Byrd, G. D., Thomas, D. A., & Hughes, K. E. (1982). Collection development using interlibrary loan borrowing and acquisitions statistics. Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, 70(1), 1–9.

Title: Collection development using interlibrary loan borrowing and acquisitions statistics.

Author: G D Byrd

Source: Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1982 Jan; 70(1): 1–9

Number of pages:  10

Summary: This article discusses the importance of utilizing ILL services as a means of extending the reach of the library and covering more topics than space and budget allows, especially in terms of library collection development. The paper followed three libraries and their ILL statistics, as well as the materials being borrowed, as well as what it means in terms of reaching their goals. The author discusses traditional collection development policies and how ILL can help libraries cover these essentials in a cheap effective way.

Evaluation:

While this article is older, from 1980's, a lot of this information is great food for thought. ILL is an excellent tool to help bring materials to patrons that the library is unable or do not want to buy for whatever reason. When the collection is unable to meet the needs of the patron, borrowing the material from another library helps all involved, instead of sending the patron away without any options. When figuring out if a book should be purchased to further the collection, they need to consider if the title is worth the shelf space and money, otherwise borrowing it from another library makes more sense. Plus it enables all libraries to join their collections together, hopefully saving money and redundant purchases.