Document supply: the evolving needs of the library

There are two seemingly contrary trends at work. On the one hand, pressure on library budgets has resulted in cancellations of serials and an increased use of interlibrary loan and document delivery to supplement journal subscriptions. This trend is reinforced by the increasingly sophisticated search and discovery tools available to the individual researcher, linking not only to the journal but actually to the individual article. On the other hand, consortial purchasing and the advent of the ‘big deal’ look likely to reduce demand for individual article supply through document delivery and interlibrary loan. In the light of these drivers for change, this article examines the evolving document supply needs of libraries, and outlines some of the new services developed to address these needs.