1. Documents and Reports
  2. Resource Sharing

Resource Sharing

In early 2013, ASERL and the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) signed a partnership to expand resource sharing among the member libraries of each consortium. As a result of this agreement, starting February 1, 2013 ASERL and WRLC libraries will provide no-fee, priority service to each others’ resource sharing requests. This is an important, significant expansion of resource sharing for research libraries in the region.

Protocol:

  1. The Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States (http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/interlibrary) will be followed.
  2. Participants will make good faith efforts to begin processing all lending requests within 24 hours of receipt.
  3. When a library cannot fill a request, they shall decline as quickly as possible utilizing OCLC’s “Reasons for No.”
  4. Participants will send/ship items as quickly as possible, generally within two days of receipt of the request.  Participants acknowledge that items located in branch libraries, remote storage, and other offsite locations can require more time to be retrieved and sent to the borrowing library.
  5. The program requires no ILL fees, no overdue fines, and no postage fees.  However, if an item is not returned to the lending library within 8 weeks of the due date, the lender may charge the borrower for replacement costs and/or processing fees.  Further, if damage or loss occurs, the lender may request replacement or compensation.
  6. The note “ASERL-WRLC” must be entered in the in the affiliation field of the OCLC ILL, DOCLINE, and ALA request forms. Requests that are not so noted may be subject to other terms of service, including assessments of regular ILL service fees.
  7. Items will be loaned for a minimum of 8 weeks.  Non-standard items (e.g., DVDs, newly-released items, etc.) may be subject to shorter loan periods at the lender’s discretion.
  8. The borrowing library is responsible for any returnable material from the time it is shipped to the borrower until it is returned to the lender.
  9. Borrowers will make a good faith effort to return materials on time.  Extenuating circumstances should be promptly communicated to lenders.
  10. Returnable items are expected to be returned to the lending library with 3 weeks of the due date.  Lenders will promptly notify borrowers when an item is not returned within 3 weeks of the due date.  Items that are long overdue should be returned to the lender via expedited delivery.
  11. If an item is lost/damaged during shipment and a commercial delivery firm is responsible for reimbursement for losses in transit, the shipping library will make good faith efforts to secure payment from the commercial delivery firm and apply the payment toward the replacement costs as appropriate.
  12. All materials lent through this agreement are subject to recall by the lender and must be returned as soon as possible via expedited delivery.  Failure to provide timely returns may result in loss of borrowing privileges.
  13. When scanning, the supplying library should provide a copy that closely reproduces the original article or chapter in appearance, legibility, and completeness with appropriate attention paid to image color and clarity, margins, page orientation, and any accompanying references, plates, or appendices.
  14. The lending library will endeavor to provide rush service when such service is requested by the borrower via telephone or email.

Participating Libraries

All ASERL and WRLC members are participating in this reciprocal ILL agreement.