Interlibrary loans

Libraries have developed document request forms on the Web allowing faster and more efficient handling of interlibrary loan (ILL) requests. In university libraries, this allows remote users quicker access and more equity in accessing library materials. Remote access to libraries has come to be expected by many students who do not necessarily want to visit the physical library, thereby affecting funding through student choice of enrolments in modern universities. These libraries are capable of delivering ILLs electronically, either by fax, e-mail or in a digitised format such as full text or as a PDF document and ‘when electronic versions are offered alongside a limited amount of interlibrary loans, a reduction in library costs was observed’ (Roussel, Darmoni and Thirion 2001).
Library catalogues are free on the internet and most services are provided without charge. OCLC FirstSearch and Nexis, however, charge for database access. The provision of ILLs by libraries has a comparable commercial service example.
Companies such as Infotrieve, Subito and CISTI provide a fee-based document delivery service. CISTI has a collection of over 50 000 journals in most languages, worldwide conference proceedings and papers, monographs, and over one million technical reports and translations. Both these businesses and libraries actually offer the same end results except that the businesses are making profits. Libraries are, in fact, ceding a traditional service to a commercial company that has modernised the concept into an e-commerce model for profit.
 libraries can develop e-commerce strategies to link with more users by:
Libraries can do this by:

• focussing on quality services and resources that can be differentiated from the general information provided by the internet and maintaining credibility as a source of trustworthy products and services in the online environment.
• re–examining traditional service models for adaptation to online services.
• providing services ‘24 x7 x 365’.
• organising easy, sustainable access to resources and services by developing reliable software and bandwidth connections.
• providing both direct and indirect communication with library staff and reinventing customer service for an e-commerce framework.
• using promotion models where appropriate, to offer further value-added services that users may require.
• developing new e-commerce transactions through innovation and keeping up-to-date with current trends and technology. 
• more on https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/awards-and-grants/325/library-technician-research-award/previous-recipients-library-technician-research-award