Purpose -This paper aims to summarise the changing pattern of Australian interlibrary loans and document delivery, the achievements of the consultative mechanisms (National Resource Sharing Working Group and National Research Sharing Policy Committees) and issues identified for further action. Design/methodology/approach -Looks at the different aspects of resource sharing. Findings -The major themes identified for future action are the need for increased resource discovery (through the NBD), acquisition of collections (particularly with library closures), capability building (training and manuals), information on performance and an urgent need to review the ILRS Code to improve speed of delivery and intelligibility of service levels. Originality/value -From the user perspective, the ILL/DD system in the early twenty-first century is complex and fragmented. The challenge for the Australian library sector is to build on the good infrastructure and systems developed through the NRSWG and NRSPC over the past six years and to develop new models which provide easy transparent modes of access to library collections across the nation.

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the role of the National Library of Australia in the Australian interlibrary loan environment, not just in terms of providing access to National Library collections through the document supply service, but also in providing infrastructure to support interlibrary loans across Australia.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the various roles the National Library plays in the interlibrary loan/document delivery environment in Australia. It covers the document supply service and the Libraries Australia service, which provides the infrastructure that supports interlibrary loans/document delivery in Australia, and briefly reports on the evaluation of services currently being undertaken.FindingsProviding access to library collections is complex and constantly changing. Client expectations are increasing, and libraries need to change traditional practices to meet user needs.Originality/valueThe paper covers the services offered by the National Library of Australia in supporting interlibrary loans/document delivery. Very few papers cover this topic.

Purpose -This paper aims to describe the national interlibrary loan and document delivery (ILL/DD) benchmarking study undertaken by Australian libraries in 2001 and evaluates its impact. It outlines the nature and scope of ILL/DD in Australia, including research into the significance of this library activity to researchers. Design/methodology/approach -The evaluation was undertaken through a survey including detailed statistical information from libraries in all sectors. Additional analysis is done using statistics from university libraries and the national interlibrary lending system. Findings -The paper finds that the benchmarking study and activities undertaken to implement the findings of the study have improved the turnaround time and the operation of ILL/DD in Australia both for libraries and users. All sectors reduced delivery time by up to 50 per cent, creating much more effective access for users to the Australian distributed collection. Originality/value -This is the first formal evaluation of a national benchmarking project and demonstrates that by working on the performance of libraries from a national approach significant improvements can be made in effectiveness and efficiency. It provides a model that could be used to evaluate other benchmarking studies. As it is the first formal evaluation of a national benchmarking study it has high originality.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of e-books on interlibrary loan and document delivery practices based on the experience of the National Library use of e-resources and the analysis of different e-book lending models based on one of authors travels to the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a case study approach and their own experiences with e-resources. Findings – E-books are increasingly important to libraries, and there are different models for acquiring and providing access to them. Whilst document delivery is permitted, interlibrary lending is usually not. Interlibrary loan departments are encouraged to be part of the dialogue between libraries and publishers, to seek a middle ground that balances the needs of the authors/publishers and library users wherever they are. Originality/value – This paper will be of interest to anyone involved with collecting or providing access to e-books through their own collections or through interlibrary loan (ILL)/document delivery (DD). The contrast of different approaches to e-book access in Australia and the United States is instructive. This paper is based on the authors’ original presentation at the 13th Interlending & Document Supply Conference, October 16-18, 2013 in Beijing China.