As part of our welcome talks and tours we explain how our
holds system works (all the copies of a book are on loan, you place a hold on
it, the Library recalls it from the person who has it on loan, they return it
and we reserve it for you - join in if you know the words…)
The simple message
of this system is - the Library is all about sharing things, if 200 students
all need the same book, the Library is here to help share out the copies so
everyone gets an opportunity to use it.
The sharing ethos which is so fundamental to how a library
works is also the baseline of interlending and document supply - we share
materials with each other and with libraries all over the world so that our
readers can get what they need. Having worked in inter-library loans for a few
years now, I always think that fellow interlenders are the epitome of this
libraries / sharing ethos. Not only do we share our materials but we also exchange
information, whether it be about our services, systems or processes - interlenders
like to talk about how we work.
The FIL committee are here to facilitate all this sharing - it’s
always good to see colleagues chatting and sharing ideas at our events and
there’s another opportunity coming up soon at our FIL@BL St Pancras day in November. Writing something for our newsletter is also a great way to share your methods with the community.
And last but not least, don’t forget the FIL members forum
- it’s there for you to discuss ideas and exchange practical tips - go on, do what
you do best!
Anyone for a boiled sweet?
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