Risky Business: How South Carolina Academic Libraries are Using CDL for Inter-Library Loan

Controlled digital lending (CDL) is an alternative for inter-library loan that is aligned with librarians’ desire to provide resources to patrons, especially when they own a copy of the resource requested. Recent court decisions are causing librarians to revisit CDL, and they are wondering whether CDL is too risky to continue. This session will explore the level of risk associated with CDL. Participants will explore the pros and cons of continuing their CDL efforts considering the recent decision in Hachette v. Internet Archive. Dr. Kelley will review how an academic library consortium, PASCAL, is working with its member libraries to carefully consider CDL and various pathways to using it for inter-library loan. Participants will review various scenarios, determine how these scenarios apply to their libraries, and decide whether CDL is an option for them to consider. Each library must evaluate its risk and proceed based on the pros and cons of engaging in this risky business.