Submitted by fryeb2 on May 19, 2008 - 11:17am
Do we really need inter-library loan? Most students write a paper a few days before it is due. The inter-library loan requests take a few days to arrive. These are inefficiant and don't work with most students style of work ethic. Plus it is an expensive option. Are there other alternatives?
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INTERLIBRARY LOAN - LIBRARY REPLY, Aug 2008
Have no fear interlibrary loan and Summit Borrowing ain't going anywhere. This service has been repeatedly described as invaluable by students and faculty alike.
True, the per transaction cost is significant and of concern. But in an era where the increased volume of publications of all kinds makes it impossible for libraries to "own everything" their customers want and need strategies to share collections and resources can't be ignored.
Electronic delivery and regional consortia such as the Orbis-Cascade Alliance have allowed us to deliver research materials more quickly and cost effectively than ever before adding significant depth and breadth to what The Western Libraries are able to provide.
Frank Haulgren
14 Days Coordinator
I Love ILL
The ILL service is probably the best, but most under-used, service the library provides. The original poster may be able to settle for the sources the WWU library has on hand, but I used ILL for most of my college papers. Please don't eliminate this service...it would only punish the students who actually plan ahead to write papers and conduct research.
Grad Student Riot!
Haha! Getting rid of ILL would definitely result in a grad student riot. It is probably one of the best resources on campus.
ILL is most definitely
ILL is most definitely crucial! Some of us don't wait until two days (or the night) before a paper is due, and some of us are actually trying to learn instead of just regurgitating info. I think ILL is a cost-effective means of getting us the random research we need without having to expand the library to accommodate a bunch of journals. And it saves paper if you receive the article in pdf format!
Do you want a grad student riot?
Getting rid of interlibrary loan will prompt a grad student riot. Don't do it. Wouldn't be prudent.
That's great that the
That's great that the original poster clearly is not within a writing intensive major but for those of us who are Illiad is absolutely crucial! Our library is just does not recieve enough funding to adequately handle the vast majority of any highly specialized research, I can say with complete honesty that had it not been for Illiad I would have failed my senior seminars as our library had a very sparce selection on my topics.
I wholly agree.
Having taken far more classes in medieval lit than any undergrad rightly should, it has become clear to me that our library is woefully unequipped to deal with any sort of specialized field, making Summit and ILLiad absolutely vital resources -- in my most recent such class, 90% of my research was done through ILLiad, and while I probably could've gotten away without having done so, it would have crippled my paper, both harming my education and reducing my opportunities to select writing samples for grad school applications.
If we didn't have
If we didn't have inter-library loan I don't know how I could have written any of my papers! The library doesn't have much in the way of current journal articles. I actually find it very convenient when they arrive through illiad in pdf form, in stead of having to search through the library and make copies. I don't even need to print them sometimes and it saves paper. Personally, I would love to see more online journal subscriptions for psychology and neuroscience (although the new behavioral neuroscience program is expanding there are still virtually no articles available without using illiad).
Yes, we need ILL
As a science grad student, I've found that there are often articles I need by cannot get through our library. While I try to find them elsewhere on the web, I sometimes must use ILL.
I, personally, have a lot of
I, personally, have a lot of 70+ page research papers on obscure topics that take me a quarter to write and I use inter-library loan for lots of the books I need to use. I think you just have never been in a situation where it was necessary.