Friday, May 18, 2007

Inter-Library Loans: Changes

Since the launch of the electronic Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service in November, the number of requests received on the printed ILL form has dwindled to around 10%. Furthermore, 75% of articles requested via the online service are delivered within 48 hours.

Therefore, as a result of the general improvement in speed and convenience of the electronic route, we have decided to abandon the printed ILL request form and we will no longer send out photocopies of journal articles with the following exceptions:

  • A print-based service will be offered on request to those users with specific requirements, e.g. the visually-impaired.
  • You can request a photocopied copy if you need enhanced-quality images: photocopies take longer to arrive but are are of better quality/higgher resolution than scanned items..
  • Users requesting theses must complete an additional Thesis Declaration Form, giving a handwritten signature to accompany the electronic ILL request itself. This is a requirement of the British Library Thesis Service.

Further information is available at: http://www.bath.ac.uk/library/ill/

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