Interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand: A misleading literature

Many libraries are engaging in interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand without fully acknowledging all of the costs of adding such titles to their collections. This study compares the costs of monograph interlibrary loans and the costs of monograph accession, including staffing overhead costs for both. In order to be truly cost-effective, interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand titles must have a minimum projected circulation, depending on the base price to purchase the item. A review of current patron-driven acquisitions models associated with interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand is included.

Research highlights
► Many ILL POD programs ignore the staff overhead costs of accessioning materials.
► Consider the costs of acquiring, cataloging, and maintaining a title before buying.
► Depending on price, it can be cheaper to borrow a book multiple times than to buy it.