Saturday, February 5, 2011

Working to Preserve Illinois' Interlibrary Loan System


Merger attempts to protect interlibrary loans. (Chicago Tribune, 2/4/2011)

Excerpt: Officials at the five parts of the Illinois Library System that serve northern Illinois have approved a merger of staff, services and facilities in an effort to save money and protect the ability of patrons to use an online database and borrow books from any library in the state.

The state’s dire financial condition has threatened the interlibrary loan program and online database, which local library officials said is one of the most critical services they provide. It typically delivers hard-to-find books and DVDs to patrons’ home libraries within a few days.

“(Interlibrary loan delivery) has been a hallmark of the state of Illinois — something that has set us apart from other states more reliant on the U.S. Postal Service,” said Peggy Hamil, the executive director of the Glencoe Public Library
.

From some  other states, yes, but certainly not Wisconsin, a model of cooperation in the sharing of library resources.

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