LOOKING BACK AND THINKING ALOUD: 20 YEARS IN INTERLENDING

This is a personal account of some of the developments which have occurred in the field of Interlending in the United Kingdom during the last twenty years with particular reference to the British Library Lending Division. The main features are increasing reliance on a central collection of literature, which has gradually increased in scope to cover all subject fields, and the improvements which have occurred in the system for making available material not held centrally. Detailed changes which have accompanied these developments are also mentioned, ie the alphabetical shelf arrangement for books, the Berghoeffer system for filing catalogue cards, the use of prepaid service forms, the increase in use of photocopies in lieu of loans, the growth and development of regional transport schemes and improved liaison between the central service and the user community. The impact of automation on the interlibrary lending system is also discussed, and developments such as the regional ISBN lists, the increase in telex traffic, and the implications of local machine‐readable catalogues for the Union Catalogue of Books are referred to. On the international scene, reference is made to the developments within IFLA that have led to the standardisation of request forms, the formulation of a UAP programme, and the creation of an Office for International Lending at Boston Spa.