Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) libraries are now live using the new OCLC Resource Sharing for Groups, the state-of-the-art solution that reimagines resource sharing for library groups and consortia.
OCLC Resource Sharing for Groups is a modern consortia-borrowing solution that expedites the delivery of digital and print items to library users. Participating libraries have all the tools needed to easily lend and borrow resources from group members. If a request can't be filled within the group, it seamlessly scales out to regional partners and OCLC's global resource-sharing network of more than 10,000 libraries, without any staff intervention. The solution also builds on smart fulfillment functionality for fast, predictable delivery based on local policies, group profiles, available resources, library relationships, and user needs—with first-supplier fill rates at 90-95 percent.
OCLC and BTAA share common goals in developing resource-sharing systems. They supported the evolution of BTAA's UBorrow service, which offers access to more than 90 million books from the collections of 15 university libraries and the Center for Research Libraries. OCLC's vision for Resource Sharing for Groups is consistent with that of the BTAA libraries for resource sharing that will underpin the BIG Collection by focusing on the unique needs of libraries that want to share in new ways to meet the changing needs of the user community.
Resource Sharing for Groups provides an exceptional experience for library users and simplified workflows for library staff.
The solution also offers group members more choice and flexibility since it's provider-neutral and integrates with any standards-based discovery services and library management systems. And WorldShare® Interlibrary Loan, Tipasa®, and ILLiad® form a familiar foundation, so libraries currently using these services don't need lengthy implementations or additional training.
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