International Requesting Resources
Requesting items from international libraries can be difficult because
of language differences, exchange rates, recency of contact information,
and ability to verify owner's holdings. The International Federation of
Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), which is connected with the
British Library, is the primary governing association and source of information.
Here are the best places to find IFLA information:
- IFLA Section on Document
Delivery and Interlending - main page includes publications and "Ask
an Expert" email link
- IFLA Voucher Scheme
- one way to pay for international ILLs
- IFLA Request Forms - acceptable
forms for international requests (downloadable)
- Many library catalogs are now available online. National library catalogs
are also a good bet, and many have English versions of the pages. If a library's
catalog is online, at least one of the following sites should have it:
- LIBWEB - online catalogs
of thousands of libraries worldwide
- LibDex - Library Index, lots of international
libraries
- World Wide Libraries
- good European links