Compact disk indexes effect on interlibrary loan at a university library

This article is an attempt to study the effects of CD-ROM indexes searching on interlibrary loans at a university library. The study is based on the statistical information compiled at the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) Library, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The data was collected over a three-year time period, from July 1991 (when CD-ROM search service started) to June 1994, by analysing the interlibrary loan requests submitted by the faculty, graduate students and researchers to the reference and information services division for borrowing. The study indicates an upward trend in interlibrary loan requests due to the introduction of CD-ROM indexes searching; extra burdening the KFUPM Library as the borrowing cost of articles. The impact of CD-ROM indexes searching on staffing due to work load and stress has also been discussed.