User-initiated resource sharing in Hong Kong universities: planning to reality with HKALL

This article is a revised and updated version of the paper given at the 9th IFLA Interlending and Document Supply (ILDS) International Conference held in Tallinn, Estonia, September 20‐23, 2005. This conference was sponsored by IFLA whose cooperation and agreement to publish is gratefully acknowledged.

Purpose - To describe the introduction of a collaborative, user-initiated, unmediated, interlibrary loan service for returnables between initially three and then all eight universities in Hong Kong. 
Design/methodology/approach - Historical narrative combined with user and staff evaluation. 
Findings - The introduction of the service has been a great success. 
Originality/value - This article describes in detail the introduction of a service that will be of interest and relevance to many other libraries facing declining budgets and the need to share resources in an efficient and effective way.