As the price of scientific publications soars to Olympian heights, it becomes imperative to base selection decisions on reliable measures for potential use of the prospective titles. A systematic examination of interlibrary loan (ILL) requests should yield hard facts as to the nature of requests and areas of specialization most dependent upon resources outside the existing collection and should highlight subject areas in need of augmentation. The literature on similar use studies indicated that professional journals were the format of choice and that currency was of prime importance to the patrons of medical libraries. This study examined ILL requests from the staff of a small community hospital spanning five years. It was discovered that the in-house collection provided adequate coverage for day-to-day library use. The consortia operation provided the select materials needed for unique situations in a timely and efficient manner. No critical subject areas were exposed as inadequate nor were specific journals revealed to be logical candidates for acquisition. ILL remains the most satisfactory and cost effective method for meeting the information needs of patrons of a small hospital medical library. Data is presented in 12 tables and 4 appendices. (Contains 7 references.) (Author)