Rebuilding Walls to Access and Service: The Impact of Electronic Resources on Resource Sharing

Abstract

Access and service are two of the principles upon which libraries are founded and the principles that guided the creation of interlibrary loan. Through technological developments and the hard work of many librarians, interlibrary loan has helped to bring down the walls of the library, allowing libraries to provide services and access to information beyond the library walls. However, the use of electronic resources is increasing substantially, and they pose issues to interlibrary loan with limiting resource sharing provisions and legal uncertainty. As electronic resources become ever more prevalent, the future of interlibrary loan is uncertain. This article reviews the potential impact that electronic resources will have on resource sharing. This article also reviews what libraries can do to ensure the provision of access and services to patrons despite these issues and some alternatives to interlibrary loan that may allow libraries to serve their patrons better.

KEYWORDS:

• collaboration
• copyright
• interlibrary loan departments
• library consortia
• resource sharing
• shared collections