National Information Standards Organization’s Interoperable System of Controlled Digital Lending (IS-CDL) Recommended Practice (Lightning Round)

This session will describe the output of the NISO working group that developed a technical framework in support of controlled digital lending of book content by libraries, now available in draft form for public comment. This framework, which describes existing practice and defines best practices for technical elements, sorted by four proposed models, will support more rapid adoption of CDL, an emerging method of lending that allows libraries to replicate their legally-acquired items in a digital format to patrons under controlled conditions. For institutional sharing, CDL is a modern extension of traditional interlibrary loan services, using the application of new technologies to more efficiently serve these requests, but as with any expansion of an existing service, there are new elements, features, and practices that need to be developed. Traditional circulation and ILL activities, policies, and infrastructure need to be adapted to the requirements of CDL, especially to support its broader adoption outside a narrow set of well-resourced institutions. The members of the NISO working group, which began its work in 2021, represent a diverse set of interests and expertise, enhancing the perspectives described in the output.