What is it?

Préstec Interbibliotecari Consorciat i d'Accés (PICA) Program, is a service that allows CBUC users to obtain documents that they don’t find in their libraries. The program allows to borrow books from one library to another. Thus, the user will be able to consult them in the same conditions that he would do if he was in his library; or, that the user could access physically, to consult and to borrow documents of any consortiated library.

PICA includes, for CBUC members:

• Interlibrary loan service. After studying the situation in mid-1997, the Consortium started up its Interlibrary Loan Program. It is based on unified regulations and fees, the contracting of a courier service that transports the documents daily between the different points of service (with the premise of giving priority to consortium members) and the annual evaluation of results. Currently 98% of deliveries are made within ten days. The users of the Consortium libraries can make their requests for interlibrary loan directly from a screen of the web interface of the CCUC or through the interlibrary loan services of their library.
• the walk-in borrowing agreement that allows users from any consortiated library borrowing items directly from any other consortiated library.
• the collection access agreement that facilitates consortiated users free access to any consortiated library.