Convergence between interlibrary loan and acquisitions: a science and engineering library experience

Libraries are looking at new types of services to improve the dissemination of information to their users. One such new service, the integration of Interlibrary Loan with acquisitions and collection development, looks like a promising approach to meet the users’ information needs. The requests that meet selection criteria are not sent through the regular ILL borrowing channels but are instead turned into rush acquisitions. A special fund was set aside to purchase books requested by users (students, faculty and staff) through ILL processes. The ILL Librarian does both the selection of the ILL requests and the ordering of the books. The books are ordered through WEB sources (such as Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, etc.) and purchased with a credit card. Books are received in ILL and rush processed prior to user delivery. This service has been in place for more than two years now. Results on the turnaround time, the circulation of books, the average cost per title and the effectiveness of this service are presented here.