FIL Articles
Explore articlescase studiesand contributions from FIL members on interlending and information delivery. Our members share real-world insights and best practicescovering everything from document supply innovations to practical challenges faced by interlibrary loan professionals. These articles aim to inform and support the community with relevanthands-on knowledge.
If you’re a FIL member with experience or findings to sharewe welcome your contribution. Publishing through FIL offers an opportunity to inform peershighlight practical solutionsand support ongoing improvements in the field. To submit an articleplease contact us.
Reflections on the Mercian ILL Knowledge Exchange
By Kip A. Darling Abstract The Mercian ILL Knowledge Exchangehosted online by Birmingham Newman University in November 2025brought together 60 interlending practitioners from 21 institutions across the East and West Midlands. The event created space for...
Rapid Access: Towards More Accessible International Document Supply
How libraries around the world are building accessibility into the heart of resource sharing By Kip A. Darling Abstract: This article explores how Birmingham City University transformed its document delivery workflow through cross-team collaborationaligning...
What’s Next for Your ILL Service?
At Interlend 2025 we asked delegateswhat’s next for your interlibrary loan service? Libraries from across the UK shared some insights about how their own services are developing: Moving to new library management systems to update workflows and improve integration....
Things Can Only Get Better? Interlending in 1997
In March 1997the UK was on the cusp of change. A general election loomedpromising a shift in political directionbut beyond Westminstertransformations were taking place in educationtechnologyand libraries. Issue 24 of The FIL Newsletter captures a sector...
Interlending in 1989: A Trip Down Memory Lane
As FIL continues to evolve and embrace new challengesit’s worth taking a moment to reflect on where we started. The FIL journal archive offers a fascinating record of interlending’s journeyand what better place to begin than the very first issue? Ah1989—the year...
Got a Story to Share? FIL Wants to Hear from You!
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started in interlendingyour experiencesideasand challenges are what make our FIL community vibrant and valuable. We’re inviting members to contribute articles that highlight what’s happening on the ground in...
Systematic Reviews and Interlibrary Loans: Navigating Copyright Compliance
This article draws on work carried at Leeds Beckett Library by Rachel Davies (Academic Librarian)Tom Lennox (Library Services Supervisor - Lending)and Liesl Rowe (Senior Digital Library Advisor - Copyright) and is based on a presentation given by Tom and Liesl at...
The End of an Era: Saying Goodbye to the Last of the Regional Transport Schemes
The Northern Region said a fond farewell to our regional van systemand I wanted to share a few thoughts because it truly is an end of an era for ILL. For those of you who are relatively new to interlendingyou probably don’t appreciate how the regional van used to...
Exploratory Analysis of ILL Demand at the University of Northampton
At the Forum for Interlending (FIL) events held in 2022several colleagues from different institutions commented that there has been a decrease in demand for inter-library loans (ILL). The University of Northampton has also seen changes in its ILL service. This...
One Form to Rule Them All…. Update
In the world of ILLnothing ever stands still and Durham’s experience with a single resource request form (FIL Journalissue 70February 2022pages 21-25) is certainly no exception. During the COVID pandemic we set up a single form to cut through the confusion of...
The FIL Journal Is Moving to a Blog
Change is in the air at the Forum for Interlending. As part of our ongoing efforts to keep pace with the needs of our memberswe’re transitioning the FIL Journal to a blog formathosted right here on our existing website. Why the Switch? Our reading habits have...