| Abstract: | ABSTRACT The article presents a case study of Empire Express, a resource sharing network among the libraries of the State University of New York (SUNY) University Centers at Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook, along with Syracuse University. The network involves an expedited interlibrary loan service, in which requests and documents are transmitted via Ariel and books are delivered by UPS, The service was formed in 1993, based upon an analysis of interlibrary loan patterns which revealed considerable potential for equitable resource sharing among the SUNY University Center Libraries. Syracuse University, as a peer institution with complimentary collections, later joined the network, which is formed on the “miniature cooperative” resource sharing model. With data now available about Empire Express, it is possible to assess the service and gain insight about the “miniature cooperative” model as a strategy for equitable resource sharing. |
