ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

AIR LOAN SERVICE

Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Director of Science and Education George L. Mehren and Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Leland H. Bull have announced inauguration of a daily round-trip interlibrary loan service by air between the National Agricultural Library in Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania State University library at University Park, Pa.

Mrs. Freeman andW. Carl Jackson

Mrs. Orville L. Freeman, wife of the Secretary of Agriculture, initiated the new agricultural library service in a ceremony at Page Airways, National Airport, Washington, D.C., at 5:15 p.m. April 17. She began the reciprocal service by sending off the first two books after a brief ceremony highlighting National Library Week.

According to Assistant Secretary Mehren, this cooperative agreement marks the first “flying books” service between a national library and a land grant university. Although the interlibrary loan service has been going on for years, time required to borrow a book often exceeded the time it was actually used. The new reciprocal service will permit delivery of publications to patrons at both locations well within twenty-four hours from the time a request is made.

Also participating in the ceremonies with Mrs. Freeman were W. Carl Jackson, Penn State University, director of libraries; Foster E. Mohrhardt, director of the National Agricultural Library, and assistant director for program coordination, Mrs. Blanche L. Oliveri, who developed the program for the department. ■ ■