Going Global: An International Survey of Lending and Borrowing Across Borders

Abstract

In Fall 2009, the ALA RUSA STARS International ILL Committee published “Lending and Borrowing Across Borders: Issues and Challenges with International Resource Sharing” in the Reference and User Services Quarterly, which was the result of a survey of U.S. libraries that participated in international lending and borrowing. Building on the findings from the U.S. survey, the Committee conducted an international survey of libraries regarding international interlibrary loan issues in 2011. This paper will focus on the preliminary findings from the survey and areas of concerns raised by international suppliers. Comparing the two surveys, the report will focus on similarities across the world for international interlibrary loan, and ways to improve resource sharing globally.