This book of interlibrary loan (ILL) “best practice” serves as an excellent introduction to the basics of ILL. It is essential reading for all librarians new to ILL, and anyone interested in ILL history, trends, software and hardware, daily processes, policy, budgeting, costing, patron expectations, copyright, national and state codes, management, and recommended resources.
Hilyer alternates between discussing the philosophy and history behind ILL and the details of ILL activities. In the first chapter, for example, the reader learns that “During the mid‐ to late‐1990s, the perception of ILL as a ‘filler’ measure began to change, as libraries accepted that their collections would not always be able to provide all of the materials necessary to meet their patrons' growing information needs.” Then, in the third chapter, the reader learns how borrowing occurs each day, especially the intricacies of verifying citations and identifying possible lenders.
Chapter 6, on managing the ILL department, provides general suggestions such as getting to know the HR department, keeping good records, categories for personnel evaluation, budgeting/costing, and using ILL statistics to learn about the department and set future goals. The last chapter of the book addresses distance education and ILL in medical libraries.
Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery concludes with an annotated list of books, articles, and web sites “to be consulted during the ILL process,” including citation verification, identifying potential suppliers, professional development, costing, and automation. New ILL staff members will especially appreciate having the National Interlibrary Loan Code handy in Appendix A, a sample state ILL code (Appendix C), and an example of a reciprocal agreement in Appendix D. Any staff member new to ILLiad will benefit from the ILLiad e‐mail and print templates in Appendix E. Hilyer has included ILLiad information and screen shots throughout the chapters, too, as it has become widely‐used ILL management software. Hilyer's example scenario of the “rule of five” related to copyright helped me understand this better than any other explanation I have read.
ILL staff members and managers in academic, public, and special libraries will benefit from keeping this book within easy reach.
