Musings from an ILL & FIL bod.

I've been in Inter-library loans for more years than I care to admit and certainly more years than I care to own up to!  In all that time, as you can imagine I've seen many changes and generally they have been for the good.

When I first started in ILL all requests were sent by paper and were hand written or typed on BL forms and bibliographic and holdings information was all held on microfilm!  For the really advanced tech. savvy authorities, well they used a fax machine to send their requests...

Now with the Internet and all the online databases we use, the email and direct requesting systems we use, it's hard to remember or believe how we used to cope.  Some people I've spoken to at FIL events harp back to the 'good old days' of paper requests but I have to say, not me.

Items are traced  and requests initiated so much quicker and of course the world has opened up for us too. Back in the 'steam' powered days we would never have imagined applying abroad for an item but now it's just the natural progression of requesting, well here in Hertfordshire it is.

I even remember the first few items we obtained from abroad via BL - the amazement that we'd borrowed something from a far flung country. Of course that's all 'old hat' now and we receive and send items all over the world every day. Of course we also do not use BL anymore for our international requests, we can do it so much quicker and cheaper through OCLC Worldshare ILL system.

Don't worry this isn't going to be another one of my Ra-ra pieces on how wonderful OCLC Worldshare is (but it is) - this is just my musings on ILL life in general but I can't muse on those without touching on international lending.

As I said at the start of this blog, there have been many changes and I'm pleased to say that here at Hertfordshire we have been lucky enough to often be at the forefront of  the changes. I think this has a lot to do with the general policy here in Hertfordshire of always looking to improve our services.  It is ingrained into all of us here to always question what we do, how we do it and why we do it, this has meant over the years that we have embraced changes, improvements, new technologies - anything really to help us give our customers the best service we can.

One of the positive ways we can see improvements working is the small number of requests we fail to find each year. In 2001/2002 we had 147 failed requests, they are requests initiated by our Hertfordshire customers for ILL items that we were unable to trace anywhere.  I'm pleased to say since that date the numbers have been going down year on year with the 2013/2014 figure being 12.

Thankfully I don't easily have to hand figures for the 90's as I think the high numbers would scare me! ....and please lets not talk about the 80's,  I don't want to remember I've been doing the same (but very different) job for so long.

The best way to be involved at the forefront of new ideas, technologies is to get 'out there' in the ILL world, get your name and authority known, be nosey. If I see a report in some journal or a blog or a LIS-ILL email I don't know about, I make it my job to find out about it, then get involved. 

A great way to do this is get involved in FIL!

Yes, I know sounds obvious but a lot of people wouldn't even think of it. You don't have to be on the committee, although it's a great way to really get involved in ILL but just join FIL and most importantly JOIN IN. 

Don't just be one of the silent lurkers, although we do need them too, instead interact, get involved, ask questions of the committee, the other members and the ILL world in general.  Even if that question is just 'How do you do ILL's in your County, University, Health Service?'  Networking is a great way to pick things up, learn what's happening, what's going to be happening and what's on the horizon.

Of course a great way to network is to attend events, conferences, information days and any local or national events where you can meet up with like minded ILL people and talk about ILL and know that all those 'normal' people out there aren't going to look at you as if you are strange because you get animated about your subject.....(at least I'm hoping I'm not the only one who gets animated - please tell me I'm not the only strange one out here?)

So if you're strange like me and want to chat about ILL in a safe environment - come along to the FIL Conference in June in Edinburgh.
You'll find it full of ILLer's ready willing and able to talk for hours on your chosen subject - and please look out for me, I'll be there happy to chat.

See you there, I hope....... (surely I can't be the only strange one....can I?)

Tracey Jackson
ILL Bod
FIL Committee Member
Inter-Library Loans Supervisor
Hertfordshire Libraries