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  6.       
City Council Regular Meeting
Meeting Date: 07/05/2022  

BACKGROUND
As part of its quest to make a wide variety of materials available to its patrons, The Schertz Public Library participates in an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) system. The conditions of this service are based on the interlibrary loan protocols established in the national Interlibrary Loan Code and the policies established by the Texas State Library & Archives Commission (TSLAC) for its statewide interlibrary loan program.

An interlibrary loan (ILL) is a transaction in which library material, or a copy of the material, is made available by one library to another upon request. The purpose of ILL is to obtain library material not available in the Schertz Public Library and to lend material found at the Schertz Public Library to other libraries. ILL service is available free of charge to all Schertz Public Library cardholders in good standing. As a reminder, ILL serves as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, collection development at the local level.

The reimbursements are based on the number of loans made by the Schertz Public Library from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022. The reimbursements are pass-through awards of the federal Grants to States program from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
 
GOAL
TSLAC supports a statewide ILL program in order to assure Texans will have access to shared library resources to meet learning and informational needs. To encourage libraries to participate in the system as lenders, as well as borrowers, the Interlibrary Loan Lending Reimbursement Program helps support Texas libraries with reimbursements for direct, out-of-pocket costs associated with participating in statewide resource-sharing such as postage and shipping costs.
 
COMMUNITY BENEFIT
No library can physically own every item of interest to its customers, but ILL service is the next best thing to it! ILL service is essential to the vitality of libraries of all types and sizes as a means of greatly expanding the range of materials available to users. Lending between libraries is in the public interest and should be encouraged.

Participating in ILL service as a lender is helpful to the overall health of the ILL program. Lenders are an essential part of the service and help keep the program viable. Our own customers take advantage of the system and borrow as many items as we lend to others. Participating in the reimbursement program not only helps offset the costs of lending materials, but helps reduce our own postage costs when returning borrowed ILL materials to other libraries through the courier service.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED ACTION
Staff recommends adoption of Resolution 22-R-69 allowing the City to participate in the ILL Lending Reimbursement Program in order to receive reimbursement for the lending of our library materials to other participating libraries.
 
FISCAL IMPACT
Last fiscal year, the City was reimbursed at the rate of $8.17 per item lent and received $11,225.58 to offset the costs associated with ILL. The library will lend somewhere between 1,100-1,300 items to other libraries during this grant cycle. The estimate for reimbursement is between $10,000-11,000, but the actual reimbursement amount is yet to be determined and will depend on the number of actual loans made, participants in the program and available funding.
 
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of Resolution 22-R-69 allowing the City to participate in the ILL Lending Reimbursement Program in order to receive reimbursement for the lending of our library materials to other participating libraries.
Attachments
ILL Resolution
2022 ILL Terms & Conditions

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