Northwest Interlibrary Loan

Adult Services Technician Lori has revamped her earlier post; this article appears in this weekend's Daily News. See the original post for a more expanded version.

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If you are a regular viewer of the Neill Public Library blog, you’ve encountered our Adult Services Librarian, Sarah Morrison, discussing some of the common misconceptions about libraries and library staff.  One such misunderstanding is that libraries can purchase any book that has ever been printed, or that we can locate any piece of obscure historical information simply by looking online. Neither is true. While the reference staff at Neill Public Library makes every effort to find the materials and information our patrons are seeking, occasionally we have to go beyond the Internet and beyond our in-house resources to those of other libraries. Yes, libraries share.

Interlibrary loan is one of the ways that libraries share, and as the Adult Services Technician at Neill Public Library, I am responsible for this service.  Neill Public Library subscribes to a online utility that allows us to electronically search, choose, and request items from libraries all over the world. While interlibrary loan is only one of the many services that Neill provides, it is an important one, as it can be the last resort for patrons to gain access to hard-to-find information like a family obituary from across the country, an out-of-print title by a well-known author, or an obscure technical manual.

When Neill Public Library provides a service, like interlibrary loan, the aim is to have knowledgeable staff providing it.  With this in mind, I recently attended the Northwest Interlibrary Loan (NWILL) and Resource Sharing Conference in Portland, OR. Believe it or not, there were 200+ people in Portland discussing, planning, and generally picking apart the processes surrounding interlibrary loan. It was great! 

While many of the libraries represented at the conference were large and many of the staff dedicated solely to interlibrary, there were also a few staff, like myself, whose work day is devoted to many different tasks, of which interlibrary loan is one.  The conference began with a cultural commentary from keynote speaker, Stephen Abram, listed by Library Journal as one of the top 50 people influencing the future of libraries.  Mr. Abram addressed some of the questions that libraries are currently struggling with—what to do about ubiquitous technology, copyright definitions, changing patron needs, and uncertain revenue streams? He answered these questions with stories and statistics emphasizing the unpredictable nature of what is around the corner for society in general. His final and inspiring directive to libraries in this time of transition was to take stock of the needs, attitudes, and experiences of their communities, and use that information to impact the lives of library patrons through meaningful services. 

With a thought-provoking keynote behind me, I made my way into the regular sessions with enthusiasm and high hopes. My expectations were met as I gained a better understanding of efficient and effective interlibrary loan activities. I met people from all over the Northwest who share my enthusiasm for resource sharing, and I returned to my position at NPL with renewed commitment to helping patrons gain access to hard-to-find materials. 

So, if you’ve always thought that librarians can find everything at Google or that your local library can purchase any book every printed, rethink that concept. Libraries acquire information and materials for their patrons through sharing, oftentimes providing  resources available nowhere else. The service is interlibrary loan and it is an important part of a healthy public library.

by Lori Bonner, 

Adult Services Technician

published 11-17-12 in Moscow-Pullman Daily News