The emergence of Internet based bookshops such as -
<http://www.amazon.com>,
<http://www.altbookstore.com/ > and
<http://www.coop-bookshop.com.au/>
have the potential to have some interesting effects on monograph
inter-library loans.
Libraries exist because books are expensive to buy and the organisation of
large numbers of them is difficult. ILL systems exist because no library
has the resources to acquire all their clientele may wish to access. There
are limitation on what might be lent though. Libraries exist for the
purpose set down by their institution so they are unlikely to borrow items
from another institution which is wildly outside their normal area of
interest and does not have content which bears some relationship to the
purpose the institution services. Loans for purposes of amusement by
patrons are normally discouraged for instance. There is another limitation
Fair Use
========
the concept of fair use also limits what might be borrowed. Libraries
should avoid in their actions, undermining the booktrade and the inter
library loan code indicates the borrowing material which is in print should
be avoided. However finding what is in print and easily available is not
as simple as just looking up the various books in print listings. While it
may be listed it may not be possible to acquire it in a reasonable time.
For these reasons surveys have shown that many inter library loans are for
items which are in print and understandably publishers and booksellers have
a right to feel they them may lose revenue by such practices. In the United
States this has led to the CONFU meetings on fair use
<http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/confu.htm> which have
failed to resolve the differences between the library and the other two
sectors.
Into this equation there arrives the internet based bookshop.
What has changed
===============
Suddenly we have a situation where -
* Anybody can now get similar discounts that libraries have been
able to acquire in the past. Books are cheaper to the end users.
* Delivery can be rapid and for very rapid is a premium is paid - a
few days for anywhere in the world. In Australia, in the case of
the coop bookshop, you can arrange to pick the book up from the
shop nearest you and avoid delivery charges. Delivery will normal
be faster than that via inter library loan except for fast track
loans but even in that case the premium services offered by these
bookshops would likely equal the delivery time.
* It is easy to locate books in the bookshop catalogues and find
if a book is available and in some cases you can even find if it
is on a given shop's shelves. Amazon for instance has 2 million
titles in its database more then all but a few of the biggest
libraries.. It is no longer hard to find if a book is in print.
It can be done from the desk of the end user if they have an
internet connection, which increasingly they have either from
work or from home. They could also do it from within the library.
In print items
============
How do these changes affect what we do? Firstly let us take the case of
books that are in print and available rapidly via electronic bookshops.
Inter library loans are costly in staff time for the two libraries
involved. If the item sought fits into the collection policy it should be
bought as there is no longer a disincentive, such a delays by dealing
through library suppliers, to purchase it. The fair dealing concept says
we should. If is does NOT fall within collection policy guidelines why
borrow it at all? The user who needs it can acquire it quickly unlike what
may have been the case in the past and has an alternative to the library if
the item is required urgently and the library is unprepared to acquire it.
We might wish to make an exception for very expensive items but should
libraries consider borrowing expensive items from other libraries outside
the scope of their collections to satisfy an unusual request by the user?
There are ethical considerations in involved in such use of the other
libraries resources in this way.
The library web server
====================
This has implications for how the libraries services are presented across
the net. If we are to promote fair dealing then the pages on our web
server where we offer document delivery and ILL services should indicate
that in-print material should be suggested for purchase, rather than
borrowed and have links to bookshop databases so that users can check the
availability of material.
Should we not consider that the OPAC (web based of course) could be set up
so that a search could be made for the same items in selected bookshops?
Before anybody jumps to the conclusion that this requires a modification to
the ILMS OPAC software remember that it can be done in Javascript so that
it all happens on the end users workstation after downloading from the host
web site - which can be any machine. The end users could devise their own
interface independently of the vendor and the library. This is already
happening with innopac catalogues.
In the end we are to help the library clients with their information needs.
Some we help them directly but in this way we can provide indirect help
for the to help themselves for those things which we judge to be out of
scope.
Commercial Concerns
=================
The provision of guided access to bookshops from library services could be
regarded as a conflict of interest and that the bookshops so selected might
gain a competitive advantage. So they will but -
* Libraries already provide access to selected web search engines
which are operated on a commercial basis
* By accepting discount deals with some suppliers students are
already put in a position where they are likely to purchase
such services in the future eg lexis for law students
* The interesting possibility of sponsorship exists. Preferential
access to an online bookshop service via the OPAC coupled with
payment to the library or discounts for purchases made from
the institution.
Conclusion
==========
Libraries need to be MUCH more careful about inter library loans for
in-print material in future.
Moves towards to the coupling of document supply services into library
services for serials (Uncover, IAC, Academic Press) should be extended to
coupling access to bookseller databases.
This has interesting implications for CILLA where commercial services may
start to replace inter library lending.
Tony
_______________________________________________________
mailto:[log in to unmask] |+61 6 249 5688
http://www.anu.edu.au/People/TonyB.html |+61 6 288 0959
Ningaui Pty Ltd, GPO Box 1680, Canberra City, ACT 2601
Visiting Fellow, Department of Computer Science, FEIT
Australian National University, ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA
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