From January to December, 2007 users of Penn Libraries recieved 14,221 articles, delivered to their desktops on average within 13 hours of making the request. This impressive turn-around time is due to an innovative approach to resource sharing called Rapid.

The secret to Rapid's success is two-fold: first, requests are automatically parsed and routed to participating libraries clustered into pods, paring down an otherwise complex process; and second, the community spirit and friendly competition that drives InterLibrary Loan staff throughout the consortium's 200+ member libraries ensures rapid-fire request fulfillment.

The growth of the consortium means that Penn Libraries' users, who used to be accustomed to waiting two weeks or more for article delivery, can rely on getting needed resources in a fraction of the time it once took.

For more information:
Bob Krall, Director of Departmental Libraries, Resource Sharing & Delivery Services