[ILL-L] Borrowing vs Lending

[Avery Hicks]

I doubt there are many libraries who have their loaning and borrowing  
stats balanced. It all depends on the library's collection. We've  
always been a net lender with our loan stats way higher than our  
borrowing stats. This has always been a desirable state of affairs, as  
it reflects good collection development *and* we get OCLC credit for  
being a net lender.

However, lately we have been told we have to make some drastic cuts in  
our ILL postage costs, this means we are having to look at ways to  
reduce lending since that's where most of the money's going. :(

A couple of things we have started doing are reducing UPS shipping and  
going nonsupplier when we've reached a preset loan postage limit for  
the month. In May, we had to go nonsupplier sooner than I would have  
hoped. I don't like having to do this, but the alternatives are less  
appealing-- limiting who can borrow from us by geography or type of  
library, for example, or restricting formats that we can lend.

Quoting FFenske at cob.org:

>
> Our library, as probably all libraries, is in a budget crunch, and has to
> cut a substantial amt of money from the budget.
> The powers that be are looking at my ILL lending stats that have grown over
> the last four years.
> The borrowing stats stay about the same due to the fact that we pass on the
> postage, lending and photocopy fees to the patron.
> One comment made to me was that ILL lending and borrowing  stats need to be
> the same, not one larger than the other.
>
> Have any of you heard the same comment?
> If your lending or borrowing is more than the other, have you had to make
> cuts? If yes, where and what was cut?
> I'm trying to save as much of my ILL lending and possibly half of my job.
> Any ideas are welcome.
>
> Please reply off list,
>
> Fay Fenske
> Interlibrary Loans
> Bellingham Public Library
> 210 Central Ave
> CS-9710
> Bellingham WA  98227-9710
> 360-778-7207
> 360-778-7294 FAX
>
>
>
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Avery Hicks
Reference Librarian
Williamsburg Regional Library
7770 Croaker Road
Williamsburg, VA 23188-7064
(757)259-7720         www.wrl.org
(757)259-7798(fax)    ahicks at wrl.org
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