Reprinted from the December, 2010, Clifton Public Library Newletter

On November 10th, Lincoln Trails held a meeting of library trustees and directors to discuss reciprocal borrowing within the library system. Reciprocal borrowing is the term used to describe a patron who visits a library that is not their home library to check out materials. The Illinois State Library and Lincoln Trail Libraries System, in particular, have been strong advocates for reciprocal borrowing.

There are great advantages to reciprocal borrowing, but there are down sides as well. Reciprocal borrowing is a problem when patrons neglect their home libraries in favor of non-home libraries. Typically patrons choose reciprocal borrowing because of either geographical convenience ("it's closer to where I work or shop"), or selection ("they have so many copies of the new releases!"). There are two consequences: first, in a period of shrinking revenues and diminished state aid, many libraries are challenged to maintain service levels, so reciprocal borrowers drain local resources from local taxpayers. Second, reciprocal borrowing reduces local taxpayers' motivation to take care of their own facility, especially when a neighboring facility is superior (and likely has a higher tax rate); in other words, since someone else is paying for it, taxpayers neglect local responsibility.

The reciprocal borrowing problem is greatest where there is the greatest disparity between facilities and/or tax rates. This is especially true in the Champaign/Urbana area, where a giant urban area is surrounded by numerous rural towns, and where many of those rural inhabitants either shop or work in the metro area. 

Given the economic difficulty facing many of the libraries within Lincoln Trails (and also Lincoln Trails itself, which will cease to exist July 1, 2011), expect a revision to the reciprocal borrowing policy in the future. A likely revision will be that patrons will only be able to pick up interlibrary loan requests at their home library. This is a logical choice, since the manpower costs of processing an interlibrary loan request should, by rights, be paid for by patron's home library.

At the Clifton Public Library, we encourage our patrons to be responsible reciprocal borrowers now and before any such changes are enacted. The easiest and most effective way to be a responsible reciprocal borrower is to pick up all interlibrary loan requests at your home library.