Document Delivery and Resource Sharing Section
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Strategic Plan
2006-2007
Mission
The Document Delivery and Resource Sharing Section is the forum within IFLA for libraries and associations concerned with making information in all formats available throughout the world through a variety of resource sharing, document supply, and interlending activities.
The Section's primary objective is to promote, extend and improve document delivery and interlending nationally and internationally through the use of new technologies and increased cooperation between and among libraries and document suppliers.
The activities of the Section support a number of IFLA's Professionals Priorities, particularly:
- Promoting Resource Sharing.
The Section also contributes toward the following IFLA priorities:
- Providing Unrestricted Access to Information;
- Developing Library Professional;
- Promoting Standards, Guidelines, and Best Practices; and
- Representing Libraries in the Technological Marketplace.
The Section monitors developments and provides information to its membership through a section Web site, twice-yearly Newsletter, programs at IFLA conferences, support of document delivery and interlending workshops, and cooperative projects with national and international organizations. The Section also oversees the biennial IFLA Interlending & Document Supply International (ILDS) Conference.
Goals
1. To plan and implement IFLA activities related to international lending.
(Professional Priorities: (d) Providing unrestricted access to information; (f) Promoting resource sharing; (i) Promoting standards, guidelines and best practices; President's themes: Advocacy)
Actions
1.1 Investigate appropriated software and potential sponsors for a web based IFLA ILL request form.
1.2 Ensure that the IFLA Principles and Guidelines for International Lending and Document Delivery as well as the Model National Interlibrary Loan Code are maintained and revised whenever needed.
1.3 Encourage national libraries or other major interlending institutions to provide instructions to foreign libraries wanting to borrow.
1.4 Monitor the IFLA Voucher Scheme and continue support and promote usage of Vouchers, in order to facilitate interlending and thereby continue to generate a revenue for IFLA.
1.5 Evaluate the usage of the Interlibrary Loan Response Codes.
1.6 Work together with IFLA's Professional Committee on planning the biennial IFLA Interlending & Document Supply International (ILDS) Conferences.
2. Provide continuing education opportunities for individuals working in the document delivery and interlending field
Actions
(Professional Priorities: (h) Developing library professionals; (i) Promoting standards, guidelines and best practices; President's themes: Continuing Professional Development)
2.1 Revise and issue IFLA guidelines on best practices in ILL and document delivery.
2.2 Investigate the possibilities for organising training workshops for ILL practitioners in developing countries.
2.3 Conduct satellites meetings in cooperation with other IFLA sections, focusing on practical issues within the field, in Korea and South Africa.
3. Monitor the impact of electronic resources and e-publications on document delivery and interlending
Actions
(Professional Priorities: (e) Balancing the intellectual property rights of authors with the needs of the users; (b) Defending the principle of freedom of information; (d) Providing unrestricted access to information; (k) Representing libraries in the technological marketplace; President's themes: Advocacy)
3.1 In collaboration with relevant IFLA groups, contribute to an understanding of the impact of licensing and related business models on document delivery and interlending services.
4. Promote the activities of the Section to document delivery and interlending colleagues internationally
(Professional Priorities: (f) Promoting resource sharing; (h) Developing library professionals; (i) Promoting standards, guidelines, and best practices; President's themes: Advocacy; Partnerships and alliances; Continuing professional development)
Actions
4.1 Review, update, and maintain the Section's Web site.
4.2 Prepare and distribute the Section's Newsletter twice a year (in print and electronic format).
4.3 Make the Section's "Ask an expert" service known to the ILL community world wide.
4.4 Meet with local ILL communities during the Section's mid term business meeting.
5. Address the challenges of providing document delivery and interlending services in developing countries
(Professional Priorities: (d) Providing unrestricted access to information; (b) Defending the principle of freedom of information; (e) Balancing the intellectual property rights of authors with the needs of users; (f) Promoting resource sharing; President's themes: Advocacy; Partnerships and alliances)
Actions
5.1 Explore the possibility of finding partners willing to sponsor the IFLA Voucher Scheme in a way that will give libraries in developing countries access to obtain fully or partly sponsored Vouchers.
5.2 Consider programming for IFLA 2007 in Durban that addresses this topic.
5.3 Submit an article to the professional literature describing the problem.
