Interlibrary loan has been a very common library service in the developed countries but it is yet to be actualized formerly in Korea. As Korea is moving toward an information society where all the individual user's request in the library should be met, we need to understand, in detail, the theory and practice of interlibrary loan service. As various information technology has been applied to the libraries, the libraries became the open system. Thus, the libraries become more cooperative, form networks, and make interlibrary loan service available. This study is based on the following three hypothesis formulated from the systems theory. 1. If libraries cooperate each other and form some kind of networks by mail, computers or telecommunications, they become the open system. 2. If a library develops as the open system, interlibrary loan becomes available in the library. 3. If the interlibrary loan system works, the role of the librarians will be changed. The research was carried out by analyzing the various studies about interlibrary loan service and by examining the interlibrary loan systerns presently working in the U.S.. The conclusions are reached deductively from the data. Some of the terminology used are defined as follows: System: a network of interrelated procedures that are joined together to perform an activity or to accomplish a specific objective. It is, in effect, all the ingredient which make up the whole. Cooperation: Working together to benefit participant libraries. Network: a much more structured type of cooperation in which definite regions or areas are connected by electronic or other means to promote interlibrary loaning of materials, in-service traing & other sharing of resources. Interlibrary loan: the lending of books between libraries. The model of cooperation or networks was used to be (1) a star type, (2) a hieranchical type, (3) a distributed type or (4) the combination of aforementioned three. However, the development of the telecommunications and computers enables all kinds of libraires cooperate together. Interlibrary loan service starts with the needs of user's information. The information have to be logically accessed through bibliographies, computers, electronic mails and satellite communications. And the logical access requires the information technology and the libraries become cooperative. The physical access to the information follows next but only traditional method of mail and some commercial service are currently available for this purpose. Therefore, researches are needed to develop this physical access. If the libraries form networks, the microaspect of library changes accordingly as the macroaspect changes. If the libraries . cooperate to become one large world library, the librarians plan, organize, control library operations and report the results. And the librarians work inside and outside of the library to cooperate with other libraries. Only the cooperation of the libraries will enhance interlibrary loan and the Korean librarians have to be prepared to accept the new role of librarianship for the interlibrary loan service.