A First-Year ILL Librarian’s Experience with the Human Element

Abstract

Abstract Interlibrary loan is a service that involves the borrowing and lending of items between libraries. What also underscores this service is the human communication exchanges had with patrons and ILL staff via emails, phone calls, notes, etc. to ensure that items are correctly processed in a timely manner. This article is written from the perspective of a first-year ILL librarian highlighting the position from the one thing that is known but may get overlooked in the grand scheme of daily transactions: the human element.