Requests for textbooks can be the bane of an ILL operation’s existence, particularly in the early weeks of a semester. Methods for handling these requests vary widely, from ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ to very tight restrictions on course assigned materials. This presentation will detail the experience at the University of Houston, which recently changed their policy from ‘no-textbooks allowed’ to ‘no-holds barred’.  We’ll discuss the problems, and the advantages, the change has brought us. We will also go over some of our new practices that have simplified textbooks requests and made the workflow more manageable.

• Advantages and disadvantages of allowing patrons to borrow textbooks through ILL
• New approaches to ILL textbook policies
• Workflow tips and tricks to make borrowing textbooks less painful