Resource Sharing Software at a Crossroads: An Investigation from the Boston Library Consortium

The ILL software marketplace has navigated a tumultuous decade, from system sunsets and reversals to mergers and acquisitions to more diversified software options to address the technical and budgetary needs of libraries. Despite these uneven developments, many resource sharing staff continue to adapt inflexible, one-size-fits-all systems that lack the customization required to fully support their work. To address these challenges and recenter the needs of our resource sharing practitioners, the Boston Library Consortium undertook a multiyear investigation to better understand the functionalities of existing interlibrary loan software on the commercial marketplace. This investigation undertook two main phases: 1) the development of comprehensive and extensible criteria with which to evaluate resource sharing software and 2) a request for information (RFI) process for vendors to respond to the criteria and articulate the various functionalities of their software. This presentation will explore the motivations behind BLC’s multiphase inquiry, the collaborative development of the evaluation criteria, and key findings from vendor responses and broader marketplace trends. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of the current resource sharing software landscape and practical insights to support more strategic decision making as libraries navigate ongoing change. This program is open to the public and will be recorded.