From: fr@compu.com (Fred Rump from home)
Newsgroups: soc.roots
Subject: Re: Interlibrary Loan
Date: 20 Dec 92 14:36:01 GMT
Organization: CompuData Inc.

Bill Page <WRP5404@TAMRIGEL.BITNET> writes:


>First, most libraries which borrow books a lot have their own
>"favorite" libraries to borrow from.  This tends to be based on
>speed of response, absence of fees, etc.

I would guess that the absence of fees item rules the world. Seems like 
everybody pays but nobody gets. In a county (public) library system everybody 
pays an annual tax to support it. A relative handful of people take advantage 
of the services. It seems to me that most of our funding here keeps going into 
bigger buildings, more useless magazines and different newspapers nobody 
reads. I wonder if anybody ever really asks for the things that a library just 
has to have. 

If libraries were more efficient they could easily share their resources 
electronically or otherwise instead of each hogging rare material in some 
isolated spot in huge Taj Mahal type complexes.

One of these days they'll figure out that a CD-ROM can be read and 
researched much easier than huge stacks of dusty books that will all fade away 
over time anyway. 

>Last, libraries are facing catastrophic budget problems.  The
>average cost for magazines, for example, is increasing by 15-25%
>per year.  (That's right, per year).

I don't know which magazines go up that much. Mine are typically quite 
reasonable and surely libraries get the best rates possible simply for the 
volume and exposure.

>  Most libraries are having
>to make do on overall budget increases of no more than 5 % per
>year. 

That's still more than the rate of inflation and less than most people got 
additionally in their paychecks. I don't think it's the amount of money that 
is the problem.  Like all human bureaucratic organizations, libraries tend to
aquire too much overhead and tend to forget what they're all about. Ever 
notice how many folks are running around in the back and who many are out 
among the people and the books? The relationship seems to have gone upside 
down.



> This presents a great many problems for all library users,
>but one of its implications is that more and more researchers are
>going to have to wait for libraries to borrow materials.  In
>other words, learn to love Interlibrary Loan -- you'll be using
>it more and more as time goes by.

That's really how it should be. Most books simply gather dust. It only makes 
sense to make them available to the general population and not hide them for 
that chance in a million when a local person might need just that one volume.

But let us look at the system that way it now works. How many weeks does it 
take to get an ILL book. I've waited up to two months. If I were willing to 
pay fed x charges, could I have it tommorrow? All it should take is a computer
message to the nearest library that has the book. A clerk could go to the 
shelf, wrap it in some pre-set mailers and stick it in a place for pick-up. 
Some minutes of work.  But can we expect such service from a quasi
public-service type organization?  Not really.  It has to be made complicated,
expensive, difficult to get to and slow.  Government works in similar fashion.

Strangely I could walk into any bookstore in Germany, review & research all
available books on their computer (CD-ROM), by various categories, order the
book(s) and have them the next morning.  Business works that way.  Quite
frankly I was amazed.  The bookstore owner told me that this is nothing new
and they've had this special overnight service for quite a number of years.
Apparently the book sellers and distributors have their own trucking service
to do this.

Now if libraries could get together and think about what they are supposed to 
be about, such service might be possible anywhere. 

Maybe Santa Claus will make miracles happen?

Fred


-- 
W. Fred Rump 	office:	   fred@COMPU.COM     'mans feet have grown/so big 
26 Warren St.   home: fred@icdi10.compu.com  that he/forgets his littleness'
Beverly, NJ. 08010                          		Don Marquis 
609-386-6846    bang:uunet!cdin-1!icdi10!fr