Resource sharing in Lebanese libraries in times of unprecedented disruptions
| Date | 21 March 2024 |
| Pages | 426-430 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IDD-10-2022-0107 |
| Published date | 21 March 2024 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Library & information services,Lending,Document delivery,Collection building & management,Stock revision,Consortia |
| Author | Carla Chalhoub,Ibrahim Farah |
Resource sharing in Lebanese libraries in times
of unprecedented disruptions
Carla Chalhoub
Access Services Department, University Libraries, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, and
Ibrahim Farah
University of Balamand Libraries –University Librarian, University of Balamand, Tripoli, Lebanon
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to study the after-effects of the crises hit by the Lebanese population and the solutions implemented to alleviate the
ensuing problems on resource sharing in Lebanese libraries.
Design/methodology/approach –Questionnaire to academic libraries. Nine libraries in Lebanon offer resource sharing services; all nine are academic. A
self-administered questionnaire was sent to these nine libraries; eight responded. A semi-quantitative approach was used to analyze the responses.The
questionnaire was administered through Microsoft Forms. The form was designed to include dichotomous questions for the sake of quantitative analysis and
a short answer format that allowed responders to provide additional details. American University of Beirut Data. The access services department at the
American University of Beirut Jafet Library compiles on a daily basis interlibrary loan statistics. The c ompiled data were divided into two groups: duration of
two fiscal years prior to June 2020; and from June 2020 to June 2022. June 2020 was used as a cutoff date after which the interlibrary loan initiatives in
response to COVID-19 were implemented. The services that were analyzed were RSCVD, OCLC WorldShare ILL profiled groups, Emergency Temporary Access
Service for HathiTrust members and Open Access Services from vendors.
Findings –Libraries in Lebanon were able to continue providing resource-sharing services with a minimal budget due to four major initiatives and
through the help of the international resource-sharing community.
Originality/value –Limited publication about inter library loan in Lebanese Libraries. The pandemic hit economies worldwide; however, Leba non
got hit by three synergetic crises, and the initiatives were instrumental in drastically reducing resource sharing expenditure without affecting the
interlibrary loan fill rate.
Keywords Resource sharing, IFLA, RSCVD, OCLC, HathiTrust, Open access, Lebanese libraries, Lebanese economic crisis, COVID-19, Beirut blast
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Libraries cannot be self-sufficient (Ejedafiru, 2011). Resource
sharing plays a vital role, especially in academic libraries, to
provide resources to general users and researchers conducting
studies.
Resource sharing services had to adapt to many crises
stemming from socio-economic factors.In the early 1990s, the
drastic increase inthe cost of serials subscriptions left academic
libraries with a budget deficitthat led to a substantial numberof
serials cancellations. Funds used for serials subscriptions were
diverted to the interlibrary loan departmentsto fill requests for
resources no longer held in the library (Kilpatrick and Preece,
1996). This financial cost was compounded by the 2008
economic recession. Acquisitions were cut, which also led to
the rise in the interlibrary loan and course reserves requests to
fill the gap (McCaslin, 2010).
The outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide, followed by a
lockdown in many countries highlighted the importance of
collaboration on the global level. While many libraries were in
confinement, international resource sharing was a solution to
access vital research materials. The International Federation of
Library Associations (IFLA) Document Delivery and Resource
Sharing section initiated an emergency service to share resources
free of charge internationally based on volunteer efforts (Lewis
et al., 2022). The service was called Resource Sharing during
COVID-19 (RSCVD) and helped all libraries, especially those
that do not use OCLC, Rapid ILL or DOCLINE. RSCVD went
viral, especially during the first couple of months after the
outbreak with thousands of requests received by the end of 2020
with a high fill rate. RSCVD received funding from the Erasmus
Plus Programme to advance the project by developing a state-of-
the-art program to facilitate free sharing of resources around the
world: the program is entitled HERMES. Libraries will keep
benefiting from this free initiative in the future.
During the pandemic OCLC took action to assist the ILL
community. Three profiled groups, ACOV, BCOV, and CCOV
have been set up to enable OCLC users to identify and request
materials free of charge. ACOV represents libraries providing
article requests from the physical and electronic colle ctions.
BCOV represents libraries providing complete e-books as copy
requests. CCOV represents libraries providing materials from
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2398-6247.htm
Information Discovery and Delivery
52/4 (2024) 426–430
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 2398-6247]
[DOI 10.1108/IDD-10-2022-0107]
Received 31 October 2022
Revised 5 August 2023
Accepted 14 January 2024
426
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