Abstract

An analysis of Québec academic libraries’ direct reciprocal borrowing statistics from 2005 to 2010 reveals that the physical distance separating universities plays an important role in determining the amount of reciprocal borrowing activity conducted between institutions. Other factors influencing the amount of borrowing and lending are institution size and library collection size. A social network analysis of direct reciprocal borrowing was also performed; such analysis is rarely used in libraries but offers great potential for better understanding the flow of information between libraries.