Based on material obtained and observations made in 1982, this Australian study focuses on the British Library's inter-library comparison (ILC) project for academic libraries. The report is presented in five sections, the first of which is a brief introduction. The second section deals with the general concept of inter-organization comparison as a management tool, particularly in the field of higher education. The third section describes the Centre for Interfirm Comparison (CIFC), the British Library's contractor for the academic libraries project. The fourth discusses the Centre's approach to ILC and includes a summary of those portions of the CIFC report that appear relevant to the decision on whether or not the technique would be appropriate for introduction to Australia. Finally, the fifth and last section contains an account of observations made during visits to 6 of the 20 participating libraries, together with points arising from meetings with the staff members of the British Library and the CIFC who were primarily responsible for the project. A nine-item reference list and two functional cost analysis tables--one for loans and reservations and the other for acquisitions and cataloging--from the Inter-Library Comparison for Academic Libraries are included. (THC)