> Perhaps from a usual library perspective, ILL is fancy, but programatically,
> it isn't any more complicated than a borrower. Except a lender checks a
> book in first and simultaneously creates a record for it.
Most ILL software also offer different options for delivery, automates
much of the communications for requests and the like between
institutions, using systems similar for p2p for electronic document
delivery, ways to set up different shipping and payment methods, allow
individuals to track shipping, copyright control and licensing (does
institution x in Mexico have the right to loan us x), etc. Most ILL
systems are geared towards sharing with non-partner institutions.
Usually true partner institutions share the same ILS or use some sort
of similar universal borrowing setup.
I'd imagine that's what most people started thinking when you said ILL
was a requirement but it sounds like you might also just be asking
more about universal borrowing configuration. Typical lingo for what
it sounds like you want is good support for "on the fly" records for
patron and books. In other words, it's really quick and easy to
create records, even at the point where you're about to circulate.
Universal borrowing setups tend to do this by either grabbing patron
info or having dummy patrons that correspond to the institution.
Illiad is probably our most heavily used ILL system, but we run more
than one for the electronic sharing aspects.
Most ILS systems don't have the ILL integrated with them, mostly due
to historical reasons. In fact, ILS are increasingly moving away
from monolithic models into more modular ones. (After all, typically
the catalog interface is a huge part of the ILS, but it sounds like
you want to use VuFind).
If you know all this I apologize, but I think there's some confusion
with how you're using the terms. Or how I'm understanding your use.
Jon Gorman
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