Heretical, but at least the topic is being discussed, in a session chaired by Oregon State's Elizabeth Nielsen: the interlibrary loan of archival and special collections materials. It's important to note that this kind of service would have to be limited, given the nature of the materials, but it could serve as an enabling tool for researchers who otherwise would not be able to access a set of materials. A central question: could such a service be set up on something more routinized, and better managed, than case-by-case loans.
Services like the Northwest Digital Archives and OAC, along with search engines like Google, have made collection descriptions much more visible. An increased user demand for materials is a natural result and helps to explain why the panel is being held.
Another NWDA colleague, Geoff Wexler (of the Oregon Historical Society) provided his take on this issue, including his experiences in how the loan of archival materials in the closed loop of Wisconsin Historical Society archives facilities. Finally, Christian Dupont of Atlas Systems presented on some overarching issues; his slides can be accessed here. Dupont emphasized the need for formal policies where possible, and that seems to be the core of the issue - moving loans from a one-time transaction between two archives to a more routinized and secure loan system.
This presentation turned out very well, the archival and vendor takes complemented one another quite well.
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