International Resource Sharing and Document Delivery: Principles and Guidelines for Procedure (2009 Revision)

The shared use of individual library collections is a necessary element of international co-operation by libraries. Just as no library can be self-sufficient in meeting all the information needs of its users, so no country can be self-sufficient. The supply of loans and copies between libraries in different countries is a valuable and necessary part of the Interlibrary loan process. Since every country must determine the ways in which it provides resource sharing and document supply, the following principles and guidelines have no mandatory force. However individual countries and libraries are strongly encouraged to use these guidelines as a basis for the conduct of international lending. The principles protect the interests of all libraries, and set out the recommended practice by individual nations for access to collections.