Libraries are purchasing access to increasing numbers of electronic resources, which has brought to the forefront many issues regarding the interlibrary lending of electronic books. The three predominantly accepted models for providing access to ebooks include borrowing, buying, and renting. Libraries have used these models in many ways to provide access to electronic content. Options for addressing barriers for ebook resource sharing include reviewing local license agreements for ebooks, gathering information on customer preferences, providing feedback to vendors and licensing librarians on customer needs, and evaluating ebook borrowing, buying, and renting options to identify which options best meets the needs of customers.
KEYWORDS electronic books, interlibrary loan, demand-driven acquisition, library consortium, purchase on demand, ILLiad
OVERVIEWLibraries are purchasing access to increasing numbers of electronic resources, which has brought to the forefront many issues regarding the interlibrary lending of electronic books (ebooks). While online access has expedited the delivery of article and book chapter interlibrary loan (ILL) requests, current ebook formats and licensing restrictions hinder resource sharing. There are several models for ebook ILL that are being tested but there remain many barriers to ebook resource sharing. The models of borrowing, buying, or
Cooperative storage involves two or more libraries sharing space within a facility. Kansas State University leases space at the Library Annex, a remote storage facility owned and operated by the University of Kansas. Various challenges are involved in maintaining access to remotely stored materials for resource sharing and document delivery purposes. The authors, staff members of the Interlibrary Services Unit at Kansas State University, discuss variables affecting access to remote materials and share their experience working within a cooperative storage model.
This article looks at standardizing the loan period among 16 higher academic institutions in the state of Florida. A standardized loan period became a topic of conversation during the creation of a new resource sharing service. The resulting discussion led to a critical look at loan periods for all resource sharing activities.
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