RapidR: Innovative Resource Sharing for Physical Delivery

ABSRACT

Resource sharing practices are always evolving, with new software, tools, and consortia available to streamline and enhance operations. RapidILL's introduction of RapidR represents a groundbreaking way for libraries to easily share collections regardless of their geographic location, consortial affiliation, or integrated library system software. RapidR provides a unique infrastructure that has made a substantial difference in the ability of libraries to provide returnable loans efficiently and quickly to requesting users. This case study will demonstrate the positive impact RapidR has had on two libraries' resource sharing services, and it will outline RapidR's ability to serve as a substitute or an enhancement to traditional consortial borrowing structures.

KEYWORDS:

• Delivery systems
• ground delivery
• library consortia
• library network
• resource sharing

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Terrence Bennett, Forrest Link, and David Murray from The College of New Jersey for their editorial help, and Erin Daix, Director of Assessment at the University of Delaware Library, for her assistance in obtaining interlibrary loan statistics from the 2016 ACRL Academic Library Trends and Statistics survey results.