Getting the right source from off site: Issues and prospects of interlibrary loan and document delivery services

Abstract

As libraries continue to add more electronic resources to their collections, the nature and processes of interlibrary loan (ILL) and document delivery service (DDS) have changed due to licensing restrictions, availability of discovery tools, and increased users' expectations. While libraries allow scanning or photocopying and delivery of journal articles and chapters of print books to another libraries, many publishers and vendors of electronic resources forbid in their license agreements the use of online journals and e-books to fulfil ILL and DDS requests. Can libraries lend e-books and supply online articles under the fair use doctrine via the traditional ILL/DDS model? What are the restrictions of licenses in terms of access and use of electronic resources? This paper will examine the changing nature of interlibrary lending as related to e-contents and discuss how resource sharing is affected by copyright law and license agreements. The authors will present the current practice of ILL and DDS among selected libraries that have been acquiring electronic resources, summarize the existing copyright laws at the international and national levels, carefully review the terms and conditions of online database license agreements, and explore the trends, barriers, and future prospects for e-book lending and document delivery of e-journals. Results of this study will provide a better understanding on the impact of licensed e-contents on the resource sharing practices of libraries in the Philippines.