| This study is a structural analysis of a multi-type and multi-level library network within the framework of a regional interlibrary loan (ILL) system. The purpose of this study was to monitor the information network structure for resource sharing of academic and research library materials transmitted through the ILL system. For the examination we analyzed the structure of the ILL network. Through this analysis, a macroscopic view of the existing ILL network structure, the network interactions of the participant libraries and especially the role of academic libraries are investigated.; The subjects were the all member libraries of the WNYLRC and four statewide and multi-state library cooperative (network) systems.; For a comparison of the structure of the ILL surveyed network to those which were transacted indirectly through the library council, the ILL transaction data for the given period was gathered from the WNYLRC and analyzed in the same way.; The major findings of the structure analysis were as follows: (1) the regional ILL network showed less than half of the participation of the total 112 subject libraries and the majority of isolate libraries were hospital and special libraries; (2) existing ILL network structure surveyed was identified as a composite centralized structure with three communication groups represented as hospital, academic, and special; (3) depending on the types of material transacted, the network structure, participation, network role, as well as the intertype links of academic libraries with other types of libraries were different; (4) indirect ILL network structure from the library council data showed one decentralized group structure which totally differed from the surveyed structure; (5) statewide and multi-state library cooperative networks had direct interactions with some local libraries but not with most libraries, and their role and relationships in the structure were also different depending on the types of materials transacted; (6) individual libraries participated in the ILL network more for periodical than for book loans; (7) academic individual libraries throughout the structures showed the highest percentage of participation of the total academic libraries, and the major network role was as a linker such as bridge and liaison. But less than 50 percent of the total academic libraries participated in the regional ILL network. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)... |
