[ILL-L] Borrowing vs Lending

[Willa Reister]

We too are net lenders and we too are feeling the pinch.  Something tells me 
things are going to get worse.
We need to spread the work load.  If our policies included information about 
what percent of our holdings are in the database and the number of Ills we 
filled in the last year, lenders could make better choices about where to 
find lending partners.  Libraries that borrow and do not lend would come 
around. The backbone of ILL is reciprocity.  
Willa Reister 

--
Interlibrary Loan
Knox County Public Library System
500 W Church
Knoxville, TN 37902

865-215-8746
Fax to 865-215-8708

---------- Original Message -----------
From: Avery Hicks <ahicks at wrl.org>
To: ill-l at webjunction.org
Sent: Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:19:27 -0400
Subject: Re: [ILL-L] Borrowing vs Lending

> 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
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > ILL-L mailing list
> > ILL-L at webjunction.org
> > http://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/ill-l
> >
> >
> > --
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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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------- End of Original Message -------