8/3/10 -- Changes to I-Share, Part 1

I-Share connects the resources of 76 academic libraries in the state of Illinois. Thanks to I-Share, Northern Seminary students, staff, and faculty can access over 9 million library items either by requesting them online or by going to any I-Share library and checking out books directly from that library.

One of I-Share's strengths has been its flexibility. Cooperatively, the I-Share libraries agree to loan materials to each other; individually, each I-Share library is free to establish local policies that determine things like how long their own students can borrow a book.

Starting on Wednesday, August 4, there will be a significant change to how I-Share libraries will loan materials to each other. There will now be a single, unified policy to ensure that every I-Share library offers the same loan periods and policies to every other I-Share library. Those of you who have used I-Share in the past may have noticed that some I-Share libraries let you keep books longer than others. That will change; starting on August 4, every I-Share loan will be for 28 days with 3 renewals permitted.

Note that each school will still have the freedom to establish different policies for loaning materials to their own students. What will change is that I-Share loans -- loans from one I-Share library to a patron at another I-Share library -- will now all be a uniform 28 days. This new policy is meant to reduce confusion and ensure equitable loan arrangements between I-Share libraries.

This is the first of two changes. The next change to be implemented will affect how much libraries charge for overdue fines for I-Share loans and the kinds of fines that can block someone from using the I-Share system. Keep watching this blog or subscribe to blog postings to learn when I-Share Change, Part 2 will happen.

7/29/10 Changes at the JKM Library in Chicago

For any Northern Seminary faculty or students who make use of the JKM Library in Chicago (which serves LSTC and McCormick), please be aware that there will be changes to their library that will extend into the foreseeable future.

The JKM Library will be CLOSED July 30 - August 15 while all library services are moved into temporary quarters on the other side of their building. While renovations to the facilities at LSTC last, there will not be public access to the books in the JKM Library collection. Requests for interlibrary loan materials from the JKM Library will take longer since their library staff will have to retrieve requested materials at scheduled times.

If you use the JKM Library, please follow their web site at http://www.jkmlibrary.org/ for regular updates.

7/2/08 -- New Courier Service for All ACTS Libraries

As of July 1, all 10 ACTS libraries are now part of the statewide ILDS courier service. ILDS provides five-days-a-week service between all participating libraries with a 24-hour delivery time from when it picks up a shipment of books to when it drops them off at the destination library. By participating in ILDS, the ACTS libraries are improving their commitment "to collaborative collection development and to cooperative organization of and access to resources for theological education."