The International ILL Toolkit: Building Better Connections

Abstract

A major resource sharing challenge is discovering overseas library holdings and successfully requesting copies or loans through interlibrary loan (ILL) outside of one’s own country or library network. Some librarians may have created their own list of international lenders from successful past experiences. But in 2021, the OCLC SHARES consortium built the International ILL Toolkit (https://bit.ly/3DvOJiK) as a free, crowd-sourced effort to make international resource sharing easier and turn local lists into a more collaborative global resource.

The free online Toolkit contains three useful tools: 1) A growing list of 250 lenders in 45 countries that are willing to supply internationally. The entries display a library’s country, links to online catalogs and lending web pages, copy and loan policies, accepted payment options, and contact information for making requests. 2) There is also a set of tips organized by country that help locate holdings through regional or national union catalogs, including information about consulting services (such as those that assist with Slavic and East Asian material requests). 3) The Toolkit also includes an ILL Request Form template translated into multiple languages to assist with overseas copy or loan requesting. The templates can be pasted into email messages to potential lenders.