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ARF- 279

Regular Agenda Item 3- B

Regular BOS Meeting

Meeting Date:	01/04/2011
Submitted For:	Jacque Griffin, Asst. County Manager/Librarian
Submitted By:	Jacque Griffin, Library District
Department:	Library District

Request/Subject

Gila County Library District Resource Access and Attainment Policy

Background Information

The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records has recently updated the statewide policy regarding "Resource Access and Attainment" formerly known as the Interlibrary Loan Policy. In the past, the standard for compliance with the statewide policy was that libraries could not pass on postage or other charges related to obtaining materials from other libraries for an individual's use. With the rapid changes in the format materials can be obtained in, as well as with the increasing cost of postage and usage fees, the statewide policy has been modified to allow a library to pass on the postage or other actual costs associated with the provision of resource sharing. The State Library has asked that all county libraries adopt the Resource Access and Attainment Policy or to modify their existing policy to provide for uniform polices throughout the state.

Evaluation

Resource sharing through the Interlibrary Loan Process is one of the core services that public libraries offer to their users. In the not too distant past when most information was printed through the traditional processes, this usually meant that a library user who could not find what they were looking for in their own library would ask for a book or magazine article, and the library staff would borrow the item from another library. Libraries were prohibited from passing the postage costs along to the patron, since the accepted standards were that materials should be provided at no charge to the public. In addition to the increases in postage costs, many journal articles are only available for a fee. These fees and costs can place an undue burden on libraries. Research has shown that it costs somewhere between $13.50 - $29.50 per item for the entire Interlibrary Loan Process. The State Library has been using the figure of $25.00 per loan transaction. For this reason, many libraries have found that purchasing a used book and adding it to the collection is less expensive than borrowing the title from another library. Some public libraries had chosen to not participate in resource sharing because of the financial impact to already strapped budgets. Since that had a net result of limiting the public's access to information, the Arizona State Library has modified their policy to include "When materials can only be attained for a reasonable cost through interlibrary loan the District will offer to secure the materials with the customer covering postage costs and any fees charged by the lending library." The policy also encourages library staff to attempt to assist the customer with finding the information requested in other locations or formats.

Conclusion

Several years ago the Library District and the affiliate libraries developed a volunteer courier system to facilitate sharing resources between the libraries within the County to alleviate the postage burden on all libraries. However, there are still many instances of customers requesting materials that are not available within the Countywide library system. The financial burden of resource sharing has negatively impacted all of the public libraries in Gila County. This policy allows libraries to continue to offer a core service, while asking the customer to cover the postage costs or fees related to obtaining material that is specific to their needs.

Recommendation

The County Librarian recommends that the Library District Board of Directors adopt the Resource Access and Attainment Policy, which provides guidelines for interlibrary loans and access to resources.

Suggested Motion

Information/Discussion/Action to approve the Resource Access and Attainment Policy for the Gila County Library District. (Jacque Griffin)
(Motion to adjourn as the Gila County Library District Board of Directors and reconvene as the Gila County Board of Supervisors)

Attachments
Gila County Library District Resource Access and Attainment Policy