From your 1996-97 OCLC Users' Council Delegates:
   Lee Hadden               Bernard Strong         Marcia Talley
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Nita Dean +1-614-761-5002
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UNIVERSITY OF OREGON MAKES 72 MILLIONTH
OCLC INTERLIBRARY LOAN REQUEST

DUBLIN, Ohio, Feb. 21, 1997--The University of Oregon, in Eugene, made the
72 millionth OCLC interlibrary loan request on Jan. 28 for a journal
article.

The request, for the article, "Grief Response," in the journal, Athletic
Training, was filled Jan. 30 by the Mark O. Hatfield Library on the campus
of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

Michelle Batchelor, library student assistant at the Knight Library, the
main library on the University of Oregon campus, was celebrating a milestone
of her own when she entered the millionth record.

"It was my 23rd birthday," said Ms. Batchelor.  "I*ve been trying to hit one
of these millionth records for three years.  We were all very excited."

Joanne Halgren, head of interlibrary loan at the Knight Library, said she
knows the feeling.  "I pushed the button to make the 7 millionth request on
Jan. 21, 1985--almost 12 years ago to the day.  This time, Michelle got to
do it.  It*s fun."

Ms. Halgren said the University of Oregon library system has more than
doubled its annual interlibrary loan activity since she recorded the 7
millionth interlibrary loan request in 1985.  During the 1985/86 fiscal
year, she said the library handled some 20,000 interlibrary loans.  Last
year, the library handled 50,000 requests.

Ms. Halgren said the library uses the OCLC ILL Custom Holdings service,
which identifies key lending relationships within a holdings display, and
the OCLC ILL Fee Management service, which tracks interlibrary loan costs
and expenses, as part of the OCLC Interlibrary Loan service.

The University of Oregon library system, comprising the Knight Library and
several branches, is the largest research library in the state.  It includes
more than 2 million volumes.

Housed separately from the general collection in the Knight Library is the
special collections section, which includes:  Oregon Collection, bringing
together a wealth of material about Oregon and its people, including the
works of authors from the state; Rare Book Collection, containing medieval
manuscripts, early printed books and important works of the 20th century;
Manuscripts Collection, containing the personal papers of the late Senator
Wayne Morse, and a significant collection of items relating to the
conservative and libertarian movements, 20th century U.S. authors and
illustrators for children, Christian missionaries in China, and Western
writers.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York Research Library made the 71 millionth
OCLC interlibrary loan request.  The 72 millionth request came 60 days
later.
The OCLC Interlibrary Loan service was activated in 1979.  In the 1995/96
fiscal year, some 5,500 libraries arranged more than 7.9 million loans
through the system.

OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit computer library service
and research organization whose computer network and services link more than
23,000 libraries in 63 countries and territories.  For more information,
visit the OCLC Web site
[http://www.oclc.org/].                                (RJM)
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