An 'old hands' view of FIL Interlend!

Ok so compared to some members of FIL I'm not necessarily an 'old hand' - but occasionally it feels like it!

I first attended a FIL Interlend as a day delegate, with no idea of what to expect and knowing nobody from FIL and very few other Interlending staff.  I remember being very warmly welcomed when I arrived and many of the then committee took the time to introduce themselves and made a point of introducing others from the 'public library' world to me. 

I was immediately taken under the wing of another public library attendee and 'shown the ropes'.  This did make for an interesting day as I had somebody I could bounce ideas off and discuss the topics of mutual interest to us.  I did also mix with others at the conference, including the mystical world of University interlending. In those days, that involved a lot of exclamation on my part at the number of staff in ILL departments in Universities and the amount of money they seemed to have in their budgets. (long gone are those days)

By the end of the day at my first Interlend, I had been persuaded by a committee member to write an article for the FIL newsletter and to consider being on the committee.  Both of which I did - very persuasive those FIL committee!

The next FIL Conference the following year was my very first fully attended conference, something I had never done before and something that had not been allowed by my authority in the past.  However my manager could easily see the benefit of the conference, the information I returned with, the network of Interlending colleagues I made during the conference and the influence I could have input to on the future of ILL by being at the conference and on the committee.

I am pleased to say that since those early days I have only missed one Interlend and now I'm on my second term on the committee. (you can only serve 4 successive years then you have to have a break of at least 2 years before you are able to return to the committee).  I still get a thrill at the idea of attending the conference, I study the programme to decide which sessions I want to make sure I attend, look forward to making new contacts in the ILL world and meeting up with people from previous years.

The great thing now is that I also have an opportunity to influence the theme of the conference and so much more input into all things ILL nationally.  Being on the committee this time and my first time has being a huge confidence boost and enabled me to do things I never thought possible. 

I along with other committee members had input into the book, Interlending & Document Supply in Britain Today edited by Committee member Jean Bradford & Jenny Brine.  My contribution may only have been as co-writer for one chapter but it was my first foray into the publishing world.  I have since written a number of articles for journals and am now editor for the FIL Newsletter.

So, if you have been unsure about coming to the conference or getting involved in the committee, don't be - just jump at the chance. You'll meet a great group of people, be able to share experiences and realise there are so many others with the same ideas, problems but also solutions that you may not have thought of.  It's also your chance to get involved in ILL nationally and internationally, influence what we do in the world of interlending, encourage others and help us put Interlending on the map of libraries.

Say it loud, say it proud we are Inter-Library Loans and we are an important part of the Library world - hear us roar!

See you at the conference.

Tracey Jackson

Inter-Library Loans Supervisor

Hertfordshire Libraries

FIL Newsletter Editor