Discusses the British Library's role, identity, and expectations, and comments on successes, charges, and copyright problems of the Lending Division, the current image of the Reference Division, controversial areas within the Bibliographic Services Division, and criticism of library research associated with the Research and Development Department.…

Discusses concept of a national library service, and compares expenditures of the British Library with public libraries and polytechnic libraries. Issues related to the British Library's location, the services of its Lending Division, work supported by the Bibliographic Services Division, and images of the Reference Division are addressed. Listed…

Discussion of operational effectiveness in libraries focuses on a modeling approach that was used to compare the effectiveness of a local interlibrary loan system with using a national system, the British Library Document Supply Centre (BLDSC). Cost figures and surveys of five academic libraries are described. (six references) (LRW)

Describes results of a study of interlibrary loan statistics that was conducted at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) Library (Saudi Arabia) in 1985-86. Results are used to examine collection development needs, departmental use, categories of users, time required to fill requests, and lending vendors. (five references) (LRW)

Questions the soundness of the creation of the British Library and whether it has met its originators' expectations. Reviews its historical development, facility and staffing problems, the Lending Division, the Bibliographical Services Division, and the Research and Development Department. Seven references are listed. (RBF)

Traces the development of the British Library since its founding in 1973 and discusses problems and achievements in the library as a whole and in the Reference Division, the Lending Division, the Bibliographic Services Division, and the Research and Development Department. Listed are 73 references. (RBF)

Although Spanish interlibrary loans (ILL) have increased from 100 to 525 per 100,000 inhabitants, there are still many problems to resolve. Examines a plan developed by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) Library Network to improve ILL services. Provides a comparative analysis of ILL services from 1992-1995. Includes charts…

Describes a study that investigated the quality of interlibrary loan services in Canadian public libraries from the library's and the user's perspectives and then compared results. Measures of interlibrary loan performance are reviewed; an alternative conceptualization of service quality is discussed; and SERVQUAL, a measure of service quality, is…

The purpose of this collection of essays is to examine academic libraries in Greece at a time when the potential for changes and advance in librarianship is great. The 15 papers are as follows: "International Interlibrary Cooperation: Exchanging Goals, Values and Culture" (Don L. Tolliver); "Academic Libraries in Greece" (James…

Discussion of library cooperation focuses on a survey that investigated cooperation among university libraries in Ghana. Library cooperation in the United Kingdom, United States, and Nigeria is described; areas of cooperation in Ghana are discussed, including interlibrary loans, cataloging, and acquisitions; and recommendations for library…

An initial survey of medical information resources in New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, Australia, reveals a lack of adequate collections, insufficiently trained staff, few formal lines of communication between service providers, and paucity of mechanisms to ensure user awareness of available services. Detailed proposals are provided for…

Five papers examine the adoption of resource based learning at Charles Sturt University (Australia). "Literature Searches and Distance Education: Whose Problem?" (Stephen Parnell) discusses the question of who should accept responsibility for the intellectual content of literature searches; the library is at the center of a resource…

Scandinavian library cooperation, which began informally in the nineteenth century, has benefited from similarities in language, history, background, political system, ideals, and materials, and has been comparatively easy to establish. The Scandia Plan, launched in the 1950's, was the first Scandinavian library cooperation program to receive…

Discusses scale and character of changes brought about in interlibrary loan borrowing procedures through use of online searching and electronic messaging. Specific changes in University of British Columbia library and a survey of other Canadian university and public libraries (character of work, job classification, work assignments) are reported.…

This Systems and Exchange Center (SPEC) kit begins with a summary by Virginia Steel of the findings of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries that was conducted in 1991 to determine the prevalence of the organizational model of access services--i.e., a department or division responsible for the services and operations…