Interlibrary lending in Turkey: Evaluation of KITS and TUBESS systems

Information has been the greatest source of power from past to present. Having information, processing that information in the easiest and the fastest way and obtaining efficient outputs ensure keeping the power. The increasing need for access to information with the developing and changing world requires providing resources accurately, effectively, and more importantly, quickly. The easiest and the most accurate way to access to information is through libraries. The fact that researchers can reach the sources they want quickly depends on the fact that the library resources are wide and accessible. Libraries have developed various collaborations so that researchers can obtain resources that are not available in the collections of their own institutions. The newly developed systems have sped up the process of lending and document supply services, thus making it easier and less costly. In this study, firstly, the current situation is identified through the data of KITS and TUBESS systems which are used for cooperation in lending and document supply processes in Turkey. The findings from the data reveal that geographical distances determine the collaborations and that published and written sources on social science are lent and supplied more often. Furthermore, it is found in both of the systems that state universities benefit more from the systems, and that the age of the university affects the resource demand and the amount of the users and the resources in an institution does not have an impact on the collaborations. The interviews conducted with the people who manage the lending and document supply processes reveal that libraries which are geographically close, have a wide amount of resources, and which provide instant communication and quick delivery are preferred more often than not for collaborations. The study also discloses the issues within the systems and puts forth an overall evaluation of the interlibrary lending process. As a result, this study suggests that collaborations which take geographical proximity into consideration be advanced, that KİTS and TÜBESS be improved and integrated into library automation systems through a single interface.