of publishers allow ILL, the majority of publishers do not restrict ILL to the same country, and there is no uniformly adopted language or permission describing ILL services. 8. The e-book environment is younger and business terms for e-books are far more elastic than those for e-journals at the same time, their rights manage- ment issues are more complex. Many publishers embrace the notion of ILL for e-books, although it is not clear exactly what that means or how tracking and delivery will be managed. 9. ARL institutions are expanding their global presence through the establishment of overseas campuses and centers, through joint degree programs with other universities, and through formal academic partnerships. This growth in international relations is also expanding implications for ARL libraries with the expectation that collection access, including ILL and document delivery, can appropriately be part of the arrangements. 10. Current practice allows research libraries to fulfill their “special responsibility” to promote “universal availability of published material.” Changes that would require research libraries to provide special handling for international requests would have a negative impact on ILL operations, are unnecessary, and would not be cost-effective. 11. As print subscriptions diminish, lending from licensed content will take on increasing importance to interlibrary lending. More restrictions on lending of licensed content will result in a larger gap between the material available to local patrons and what can be shared through ILL. Conclusion and Recommendations The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) guidelines for international lending summarize the situation well: “Just as no library can be self-sufficient in meeting all the information needs of its users, so no country can be self-sufficient.”2 Challenges to current international ILL practices could significantly undermine this carefully crafted and balanced set of resource-sharing activities. ARL affirms that it is the right of North American research libraries to participate in international interlibrary loan and document delivery activities. It will be important for ARL members to understand the changing ILL landscape, especially given the shift away from reliance on RLI 275 4 Report of the Task Force on International Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Practices ( C O N T I N U E D ) JUNE 2011 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A QUARTERLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC
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