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ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 49| February 2001


Interlibrary Resource Sharing Code launched

Australian Library and Information Association President, Professor Mairéad Browne, launched the new Interlibrary Resource Sharing (ILRS) Code on 15 January at a reception held in the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, hosted by the National Library of Australia.

Professor Browne said, ‘library users nominate the ability to obtain resources from beyond their own libraries and institutions as one of the most valued library services. The new Code will help libraries to improve the reliability and consistency of interlibrary loan and document delivery services and give more choice and flexibility to users’. She encouraged all libraries to adopt the new Code.

What does the new Code deliver?
The ILRS Code updates the Australian Interlending Code, which was last substantially reviewed by the former Australian Council of Libraries and Information Services in 1994. The new Code delivers:

What is in the new Code?
There are new service standards and core principles for interlibrary loan and document supply transactions between libraries. The service standards set out four levels of service:

Core (5-day turnaround)
Priority (2-day turnaround)
Rush (1-day turnaround)
Express (2-hour turnaround)

There is a Default, or fall back, level when the Core service cannot be met. There is a scale of recommended prices based on the current rates.

The Code is available from the following web sites:
Australian Library and Information Association at www.alia.org.au/interlibrary.lending/
National Library of Australia at www.nla.gov.au/initiatives/ilrscode/index.html

Who will use it and when?
The Code has been endorsed by the peak library organisations (the National Library of Australia, the Council of Australian University Librarians, the Council of Australian State Libraries and the Australian Library and Information Association) for adoption by all Australian libraries. Libraries will commence using the Code in the first quarter of 2001.

How do I find out more?
To accompany the Code there is a more detailed Guide to best practice for interlibrary resource sharing in Australia at www.nla.gov.au/initiatives/ilrscode/ilrsbp.html

A series of one-day workshops conducted by AIMA Training and Consultancy Services will assist participants develop implementation strategies for their own libraries, including processes, procedures and policies within the library, for users and in dealing with other libraries. Workshops will be held in all capital cities, and some regional centres, from late February.

You can get more information and express an interest in attending a workshop at the AIMA web site: www.aima.org.au/.

Members of the National Resource Sharing Working Group (NRSWG) are available to attend meetings to discuss the Code. The NRSWG welcomes comments and questions. See the NRSWG web page for contact details: www.nla.gov.au/initiatives/nrswg/

How was it developed?
The Code is the culmination of 18 months of intensive work by the NRSWG, with contributions from many colleagues. The NRSWG researched Australian and overseas interlending practices, codes and standards; consulted libraries and users; and mapped requesting and supplying processes.

The National Library of Australia set up the NRSWG in 1999 with support from the Australian Library and Information Association, the Council of Australian University Librarians, the Council of Australian State Libraries and the Australian Library Collections Task Force. It is a committee of interlibrary loan and document supply practitioners and managers from all library sectors. The NRSWG was established in response to widespread concerns among libraries and library users about the effectiveness of Australia’s national resource sharing system. Their brief is to ensure a robust, reliable and cost-effective interlending system is in place to support Australian libraries in meeting the needs of their users.
—Susan Magnay
Chair, National Resource Sharing Working Group

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