Index Data’s Sebastian Hammer will join three other presenters at the Charleston Conference on November 14 to explore Project ReShare‘s plans for ReShare Digital. This session will be particularly relevant for those interested in the evolution of interlibrary loan (ILL) and the role of technology in facilitating seamless resource sharing.

Throughout the presentation, the speakers will explore the core features of the newly announced ReShare Digital effort. This platform enables the sharing of library-owned materials, licensed e-books, and controlled digital lending methods, complete with integrated inventory and access controls. You’ll hear about ongoing collaborations with publishers to leverage existing e-book ILL agreements and create new business models for library-hosted or -owned digital titles that function like their print counterparts. This is a significant step toward making digital content as accessible and shareable as physical books.

Another part of the session will discuss the ISO 18626 communication standard. Library standards, like ISO 18626, can facilitate sharing physical and digital materials beyond existing resource-sharing groups, extending to members of other vendors’ fulfillment communities. The aim here is to enhance collaboration between vendors’ products, which will allow libraries to expand access to a broader range of library resources.

The presenters will wrap up by proposing enhancements to the ISO 18626 standard that support network-to-network communication for physical and digital materials. These proposals aim to ensure that libraries can use their preferred request management software while processing requests from a variety of fulfillment communities, building towards an integrated library resource-sharing ecosystem.

Four speakers will present at the session: Allen Jones from The New School, Sebastian Hammer of Index Data, Boaz Nadav Manes from Lehigh University Libraries, and Jill Morris from PALCI. Each brings extensive experience and unique perspectives to the discussion.

We’ve had ongoing conversations about technology-mediated interlibrary loan, and this session at the Charleston Conference is another exciting chapter in that dialogue. ReShare is an essential part of Index Data’s work to support libraries. We hope you’ll join us and contribute your thoughts to this evolving conversation.