Interlibrary Loans 1989 Style!
As FIL continues to evolve and embrace new challenges, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on where we started. The FIL journal archive offers a fascinating record of interlending’s journey, and what better place to begin than the very first issue?
Ah, 1989—the year when Indiana Jones, James Bond and Marty McFly slugged it out at the box office and were beaten by Tim Burton’s Batman; the Berlin Wall was still standing (just about), and interlibrary lending was very much a world of printed request slips, microfiche, faxes, and waiting. Lots of waiting.
The very first Forum for Interlending Newsletter landed in June that year, full of discussions that still feel oddly familiar today. Costs, cooperation, technology, and the eternal question: how do we get things to people faster? Some things never change…
Coventry, Conferences, and Collaboration
FIL itself was just getting going, fresh from the success of “Interlend ’88” at Coventry Polytechnic. The conference had drawn together library professionals from across different sectors, and the buzz resulted in a new network for sharing ideas. By mid-1989, FIL had over 100 members, and its first newsletter was setting the tone for regular discussion.
One of the big topics? Who pays for interlending? The upcoming “Interlend ’89” conference was tackling this very issue. Libraries were wrestling with budget constraints, user expectations, and the sustainability of services. Sound familiar?
The Future Was… Automation?
Technology was another hot topic, with Lancaster University’s PICKUP system getting a mention as an early attempt at automation. The newsletter also highlighted experiments with teleordering and the potential of online catalogues—ideas that, at the time, seemed both exciting and slightly futuristic. Meanwhile, faxes were hailed as a game-changer, dramatically speeding up the request process compared to traditional postal methods. Of course, even faxing had its frustrations—blurry pages, missing transmissions, and the occasional paper jam.
Looking at then versus now, it’s striking how interlending remains a balance between speed, cost, and collaboration. In 1989, waiting weeks for a journal article was standard; today, many requests arrive digitally within minutes—but barriers like paywalls still cause delays. Budgets were tight then, and they’re still a challenge now. The optimism around new technologies in the newsletter—whether automation, teleordering, or shared databases—mirrors today’s conversations about AI and linked data. What has endured is the commitment to resource-sharing, and the belief that no library can—or should—stand alone.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Reading that first FIL newsletter, it’s striking how much has changed—but also how much has stayed the same. The tools have evolved, the challenges have shifted, but at its core, interlending is still about libraries working together to get people the resources they need.
So, while we might smile at the thought of 1989’s cutting-edge innovations, the drive to improve access to knowledge is something we can all still relate to. And who knows? Maybe in another 35 years, people will be looking back at our “cutting-edge” systems with the same fond amusement…
You can read issue 1 of The FIL Newsletter (as it was known back then) in our journal archive.
FIL Blog Editor/Web Officer
With over 20 years in academic libraries, Tom oversees the Request It! service and lending operations at Leeds Beckett University. Beyond the library, he enjoys art, comics, archive film and TV, and traveling—Cornwall, with its natural beauty and magical charm, is always a favorite destination.
