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Resource Sharing Forum

The objective of the CRRA Resource Sharing Forum is to assist users in accessing materials in CRRA member collections. CRRA members will continue borrowing from their current "first line" borrowing partners, usually a state or other consortial resource-sharing network, and add CRRA members in a subsequent borrowing group. Members participate based on their capacity for loaning and/or digitizing, and to the extent possible, share resources with CRRA members free of charge. OCLC membership is not required. Participants can use ILLiad, Tipasa, WorldShare ILL, the ALA ILL form, email, or web submissions for requesting materials.

The guidelines provide guidance for processing ILL requests among CRRA participants without interfering or conflicting with individual institutions’ ILL policies and procedures. The intent is that all the institutions follow the ALA ILL code, observe copyright laws, CONTU guidelines, and be cooperative lending partners in this project. This program gives CRRA institutions the option to assist users in accessing Catholic materials, especially those which are hard to find or uncommonly held.

View Resource Sharing Forum members HERE

Tip: Use Control-F (for PC Users) or Command-F (for Mac users) to search the forum roster by key word (e.g. an institution name). You will need to do the search separately for each page of the roster.

GUIDELINES

  1. Use this spreadsheet for the OCLC symbols (OCLC membership not required), ILL contacts and other relevant information.

  2. CRRA set up an email list for the participating institutions’ ILL contacts for questions, clarifications, revisions and/or additions to the guidelines. Submit a request to be subscribed to the resource sharing elist to [email protected].  Once you are subscribed, participants can send messages to [email protected].

  3. You may submit your request via any of the ways you normally submit an ILL request. Be sure to identify your request as a CRRA institution.

  4. For those participants who do not have an ILL platform to use, you may use the ALA ILL request form.

  5. Please be sure the requested information (bibliographic citation) is as complete as possible to ensure a rapid response.

  6. Items are to be provided free of charge. However, if there is a request that is out of the ordinary requiring significant staff involvement, high shipping costs, etc., then it may be necessary to revisit the request and/or terms on which material can be supplied.

  7. The loaning institution reserves the right not to loan material that may be too fragile or valuable. Every attempt should be made to provide a digital or electronic copy when possible.

  8. The requesting institution is responsible for borrowed material from the time it leaves the supplying library until it has been returned to and received by the supplying library. In case of lost or damaged items the requesting institution is responsible for replacement costs as indicated by the lending institution.

  9. Due dates should be honored and enforced. Renewals should be requested prior to the due date.

  10. It is important to keep statistics. Number of items loaned, type of item, and requesting institution should be sufficient statistics to keep at this time.

Please send questions to [email protected] or, once you have subscribed to the group, you may email [email protected]

Thank you for your participation!