Since many interlibrary loan departments in public libraries are very small, it is important to connect to the ILL community for information, help, and good ideas. Fortunately, the same community that so highly values the sharing of books and information for our customers also highly values sharing information amongst ourselves. You can rely on fellow ILLers to answer questions about how systems work, how to track down tricky material, what to do about users who chronically turn in ILL items late, and just about any other issue that comes up in the course of doing interlibrary loan. It is highly recommended to make contact with other ILL staff in your local area. You may share many of the same local concerns and will also be able to get together more easily if that would be helpful. However, the electronic medium of email has made it much simpler to connect instantly to a whole group of people who are doing the same work and have encountered the same problems. Electronic lists are filled with people who have been there and done that. The general ILL listserv can not only answer your pressing questions, but can also make you aware of what is happening in ILL and offer up new ideas or answers to problems you didn't even know you had. In addition, there are many lists that are specific to a particular software or technology. Even if you don't have a pressing need, monitoring the list (as well as posting your opinions) can make you aware of the big picture. There are not many professional conferences that deal specifically with interlibrary loan, especially targeted to public libraries. The main exception is the annual Colorado Interlibrary Loan Conference held each spring in beautiful Colorado. This has become a de facto national conference, for the simple reason that it is the one that is out there. Colorado has accepted this graciously and does an incredible job of preparing a conference that provides workshops of interest to all ILL staff. Local interest topics come before or after the main conference or are scheduled at the same time as workshops that are not of only regional interest. This conference is extremely worthwhile, not only for the informative workshops, but also for the chance to spend time talking to people who do what you do every day. Don't forget to check out other professional conferences for interlibrary loan workshops. Both national and regional conferences often have an occasional offering on a variety of topics of interest to interlibrary loan. Many public library interlibrary loan staff don't fall into the job level of people who get to attend these professional conferences. If that is the case, don't be shy about asking your manager to check out a workshop that addresses a topic of interest. Also, check with your State Library or Department of Libraries to see if there is an Interlibrary Loan discussion group for your region. These groups can provide valuable information and a good ILL network. If there is no such group, think about starting one. It may be easier to get approval to travel to meetings closer to home.
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