Interlibrary Loan of Alternative Format Materials: A Balanced Sourcebook

With the help of this indispensable resource, librarians can now easily find reading material in alternative formats for patrons who require them in non-native languages. Interlibrary Loan of Alternative Format Materials is a core resource for librarians that explains how and where to interlend braille, audio, and large print materials in a variety of languages. This sourcebook contains detailed descriptions of libraries around the world that are willing to interlend materials according to a world-wide survey conducted by the International Federation of Library Associations’Section of Libraries for the Blind. In addition to providing a list of 29 libraries that interlend alternative materials, this book also provides librarians with the most current research into this area of library work with essays written by noted experts in the field.

As populations shift rapidly all over the world, librarians need to develop an awareness of where alternative format materials in foreign languages can be found. Interlibrary Loan of Alternative Format Materials simplifies such a search by providing an accurate list, broken down by continent and by country, of specific interlending information for 29 countries. Librarians serving print-impaired readers, reference librarians, interlibrary loan librarians, organizations and social service institutions serving the blind, and national libraries will find a wealth of helpful ideas for providing alternative format materials in a variety of languages to their patrons.

By taking advantage of these free interlibrary loan opportunities, librarians can expand the materials available to their print-impaired patrons, without straining their budgets. Interlibrary Loan of Alternative Format Materials includes a detailed list of the availability of materials from nations in Western Europe and Asia, interlibrary loan implications and procedures, and sample interlibrary loan forms that can be duplicated. Special topics covered include sharing of materials for the blind and visually handicapped in Canada, some solutions to current problems with interlending audiovisual materials, IFLA interlibrary loan and document supply resolutions, and the international interlibrary loan system at the U.S. Library of Congress.