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The reviews of interlending and document supply appearing regularly in this journal are themselves reviewed to give a world picture of interlending in the years 1975 to 1985. National and international lending have increased. National and international systems have been planned and performance improved in some countries. Others have seen little progress. Union catalogues and subject specialist collections have their part to play, but the greatest development has been in networks, particularly OCLC. Interlending is still beset by questions of the costs of services, of charging and copyright. Developments in new technology have still to make much impact on document supply, although various projects in this area are already in hand.

A study of the reasons why public libraries in the Province of Ontario, Canada, participate in interlending reveals two philosophies. Some librarians and writers believe that interlending is a part of the library community's obligation for universal availability of publications. Others see it as elitist, spending an undue share of resources on a small user group, and as inequitable, putting an unfair burden on large libraries. Clear formulations of the rationale and financial basis for interlending are needed.

The history of interlending since 1945 is inseparable from changes taking place in the infrastructure of library and information services and from progressive innovation in communications technology. Three phases of development can be discerned. In the first interlending based on linking individual library services through the NCL/RB system and supplemented by co‐operative acquisition schemes is paralleled by the rise of a national centralized lending service to science and technology. Expansion of library services in the academic and public sectors in the second phase gives rise to co‐operative schemes including interlending to meet specific needs. The successful and progressive development of the NLLST influences traditional interlending modes and the period closes with a rationalization of the national library structure and of the public library system for the next phase of development. This takes place against growing economic restraints and is one of integration and extension of the centralized lending services of the British Library Lending Division and a reassessment of regional connections. The innovative force of computerization is taken up at regional level by LASER and nationally by the British Library Lending Division. Such developments are intrinsic to the considerations of the LISC report Working together. This will form the basis of an evolutionary approach to national co‐ordination and co‐operation in which interlending is fundamental to an access strategy of library and information services.

Considers the particular challenges of training staff for interlending work in libraries. Discusses the need for interlending as part of the concept of publication availability, the problems of setting up a training course, aims and objectives of training, the trainees and trainers, and techniques and training materials. Concludes that the problems posed by the co‐operative nature of interlending demands a structured training programme to ensure its success.

Interlibrary lending during the period 1900 to 1945 lacked co‐ordination, adequate funding, and motivation by the majority of librarians. Public library services had reached only 38% of the population of England and 50% of that of Wales by 1915. With the growing volume of relevant publications becoming available it was recognized that individual libraries could not cope alone with the demands of the population. Co‐operation was advocated in the form of union catalogues and co‐operative book purchasing. Those responsible for adult education pressed for a solution to their book provision problems and a proposal to the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (CUKT) in 1915 for a Central Library for Students, was agreed. Emphasis on educational purposes soon gave way to interlending for library purposes — a process reinforced and continued with the establishment of the National Central Library and the Regional Library System. The NCL took up its role of book provider and interlending co‐ordinator in 1930 but interlending services were dogged by lack of finances. The support of CUKT and other philanthropic bodies was crucial at this time. Criticisms of interlending services could have been diminished by a greater collective responsibility from librarians. The desire to increase their own collections weakened the drive towards an interlending service. The concept that finally prevailed was too limited to be adapted to post‐war circumstances.

A summary of a report to UNESCO with the results of a study examining various aspects of interlending and document supply throughout Europe. Examines the size and nature of collections available for interlending, the state of union catalogues and the use of new technology. Concludes that there is considerable disparity in practice and development throughout Europe with differences in financial and professional practices and uneven development of union catalogues.

The review begins with a study of several analyses of statistics relating to interlibrary loan. The subjective nature of some of these is stressed and the danger of using statistical data in isolation is highlighted. Statistical evidence is also brought into the discussion about the conflict between interlending and preservation which centres on the difference between the book and the text. Whilst two authors take a rather conservative approach, the third looks on the problem with a more liberal attitude. Although the intrinsic safety of the materials involved is a partial barrier to interlending in developing countries, writers from both Africa and Latin America emphasize the major obstacles to advancing ILL are professional attitudes and jealousies. The proceedings of a seminar in India are reported in which a number of participants put forward possible interlending models for their country. The deliberations in Australia also centre round the alternative models available, and arguments over the costs involved persist leading to some novel arguments about making ILL a free service. The development of interlending in Illinois is examined in some detail. The impact of interlending on acquisitions policies is discussed in two papers which show that interlending is still a backup for low use material when viewed in this context. The review closes with a discussion of the future particularly in terms of money and resources which are likely to become more and more limited. The demise of the US plan for a National Periodicals Center is used to show that money and power are major elements in deciding the fate of interlending schemes.

Interlending practices and procedures have grown up as the need for interlending has grown, but the importance of interlending and the need to approach the problem systematically have not been generally recognised. Few attempts have been made to create a coherent and effective system. Most efforts to improve interlending have consisted of the development of union catalogues, which in many cases are produced without any clear plan, consuming a great deal of effort and money and often making matters more difficult for libraries rather than easier. Almost no information on the performance of interlending systems — in terms of the three main criteria of satisfaction rates, speed of supply and costs — could be found. Four basic models of national interlending systems are identified, relating to one of several major factors — the degree of centralisation or concentration — though other relevant factors are also taken into account. The models are of concentration on a single library; concentration on a few libraries; planned decentralisation; and unplanned decentralisation. This last is by definition not a system at all, but it is what happens in most countries at present. None of the first three does or can exist in pure form, and solutions will consist of combinations of them appropriate to countries of different sizes, types and stages of development.

This review is based for the most part on conference proceedings. It begins with a look at recent developments in interlending in Australasia, with a comparison of interlending statistics, and papers from a resource‐sharing conference in New Zealand reporting Australian and New Zealand interlending practice. Unresolved attempts to define an interlending plan for Australia are discussed together with the present situation. Two delegates' papers at a conference in Western Australia report contrasting developments there. Turning to the UK, four papers from an interlending conference consider the current UK situation, financial aspects, the end user's view and future development of interlending. Finally, a world‐wide collection of ‘proceedings’ is reviewed, dealing with different interlending systems in the UK, FRG, GDR, USA, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, China and the European Communities' DOCDEL project, with particular reference to Patent information in Germany and the TRANSDOC project in France.

In 1979 a computerized interlending link between Chalmers University of Technology and the British Library Lending Division was developed, based on a system already in operation between the British Library Lending Division and a number of US libraries. A successful pilot evaluation at Chalmers University of Technology led to the decision to test DOCLINE in different Swedish libraries. A comparative study between requests sent via DOCLINE and those sent via the Swedish interlending network showed a satisfaction rate of 83% for the former and 64% for the latter. The main reason for the difference was the greater coverage of material held by the Lending Division. The speed of delivery via DOCLINE was six days and eight days via the Swedish network, however for the latter, requests from smaller institutions are frequently sent via the main library thus involving a delay. The costs for the DOCLINE interlending requests total £3.42 compared with between £5.42 and £6.42 for the Swedish interlending manual procedures. The DOCLINE system is being developed to provide users with statistical and administrative information and as the number of libraries using the system grows, a DOCLINE newsletter is planned. Experiments with telefacsimile transmission between Chalmers University of Technology and the Lending Division have also been operating since November 1982. There is considerable interest from Swedish libraries of many types in the use of the DOCLINE link.