Libraries, logistics and the long tail

Lorcan Dempsey Takes A Look at the many “long tail” discussions and says the real issue is how well supply and demand are articulated in a network environment. And when we think about it in this systemwide way the picture is less reassuring. Think of two figures. The first is that ILLs account for 1.7% of overall circulations.
The second is about circulation.
He says Libraries do indeed collectively manage a long tail of research, learning and cultural materials. However, we need to do more work to make sure that that long tail is directly available to improve the work and lives of our users.