Direct Purchase As a Function of Interlibrary Loan

Instead of borrowing a book for a patron via interlibrary loan, many libraries buy the requested book. The process is often faster and, sometimes cheaper, than interlibrary loan. A discussion of workflows and information about purchasing faculty requests instead of borrowing items is included. The discussion emphasizes successful strategies to solve the problem of the overlap of responsibilities and potential conflicts among collection subject selectors, acquisitions staff and interlibrary loan staff. Discussion focuses on implementing purchase on demand once the library has determined that Direct Purchase is part of the Interlibrary Loan process.