UConn’s DD-ILL team is fortunate to have been selected to participate in a new project developed by the Colorado RapidILL resource sharing group.  RapidR (Rapid Returnables) is a book-to-library interlibrary loan program that will complement Rapid’s existing and highly successful document delivery program.  The pilot has been underway for the last few months and also includes fellow BLC members Northeastern, Williams, UNH, and UMass Amherst.  The goal of the program is create a system that is “better, faster, more reliable, and more flexible” for both borrowing and lending institutions.  Working with RapidILL as a pilot partner is allowing us to help develop the program and the policy; we are in at the ground floor of this groundbreaking project, and it has been exciting to work with RapidILL at this level.

More members will soon be participating in the pilot to elicit more feedback and do more real-time testing.  Rapid’s plan is to go fully live on July 1.  There are many advantages to the new program, including:

• 24-hour turnaround time by the lending institution
• Real-time system shelf-checks
• Integration with our current ILLiad interlibrary loan management system
• Expedited shipping
• Discounted UPS shipping
• Extended loan periods
• Multiple-volume requesting
• General reciprocity with lending: no charges

Submitted by Erika McNeil, Resource Sharing Librarian