INTERLIBRARY LENDING IN THE NETHERLANDS

Interlending in the Netherlands is based on a national system for the supply of scholarly literature and a regional system for supplying a wider range of material mainly between public libraries. Some 725,000 requests were made in 1979. Most requests are satisfied through union catalogues or printed union lists. In addition to the 12 provincial centres, the 13 regional support libraries have a central role in the regional supply system; they received 131,708 requests in 1980 and satisfied 27%. A single centre in each region is recommended. A survey of the national system showed that 40% of all requests at this level came from academic libraries, 40% from special libraries and 20% from public libraries. Most requests are for science and technology (60%), for English language material (55% of all requests; 70% of requests for journals), and for more recent material (65% published in the last ten years). The satisfaction rate was 76% (higher for requests sent to union catalogues): half were supplied in two weeks, two‐thirds in three weeks. Important gaps in journal coverage were identified, eg in medicine. An on‐line national union catalogue will be available in 1984 and will be used to distribute requests more evenly between libraries, but specific grants to support the interlending function in major supplying libraries will still be necessary, and charges should be made. Improved union catalogues are envisaged at the regional level also.