When I stepped into interlibrary loan (ILL) at the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries in 1967, the service was open only to faculty and graduate students. Reference sources, especially bibliographies, were important as a source of information. Locations for libraries holding materials were discovered at a statewide center (union card catalog), the National Union Catalog, or the Library of Congress. Typewritten four-part paper forms were a great way to send and keep track of requests. There was no OCLC or other electronic ILL system. There was a national ILL code but no Colorado code. There also seemed to be nobody at all whom I could ask for enlightenment concerning ILL.
As the years slipped by, I learned enough to help others. I conducted many workshops, gave speeches, organized conferences, and did a two-day seminar at the University of Wisconsin School of Library and Information Studies nine different times. The Interlibrary Loan Practices Handbook was published twice—once while I was working and once after retirement. (By the way, the current cat is all black and named Zorro.)
Since my retirement the ILL world has changed dramatically. The individual’s need for information (and entertainment) has continued unabated while methods for producing materials seem to proliferate daily. One must keep up with all new developments. This book will give a current perspective and help for the neophyte.
A constant remains, however, and it is the most important thing about ILL: people. Those who need the materials and those who supply them are an endless panoply of interest and sometimes excitement. And so, to quote myself: “Cherish your family, value your colleagues, and whether it be in person or electronically, treat kindly those who come to you for help.”
Virginia Boucher
Professor of Libraries, Emerita
University of Colorado at Boulder