Interlibrary loan

Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL and in some countries called interloan) is a service whereby a user of one library can borrow books, videos, DVDs, sound recordings, microfilms, or photocopies of articles in magazines that are owned by another library. Sometimes for a small fee, or possibly for no cost, a library that has the item will loan it, and the item is transported to the requestor's library to be checked out or just used within the library.

Related Topics:
Library - Book - Video - DVD - Sound recording - Microfilm - Photocopies - Magazine

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Without interlibrary loans, if a library patron found an item they wanted, they would have to travel to that library, and apply for a local library card if eligible, or present a reciprocal card in order to borrow the item. By taking advantage of interlibrary loan, in comparison, the library staff can search large numbers of libraries at once, transport the item from several miles to thousands of miles away, and allow a patron to borrow the item using their local library card. Loans between branch libraries in the same system may take one or two days, while loans between library systems may take a week or more to be delivered. If an item is rare or difficult to find, this may be the easiest way to gain access to it. However, if an item is rare or difficult to find, interlibrary loan does not guarantee that the lending library will send the item to you through your local library. Some collections and volumes may be non-circulating.

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Since the mid-1980s interlibrary loan searches have become easier, as many libraries have allowed library users to search their online catalogs at the library or over the Internet. This may be a search of one library at a time or of all the libraries in a particular library co-operative.

Related Topics:
Online catalogs - Internet

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Libraries have formed voluntary associations with each other to provide a union catalog of all the items held by all member libraries. This allows libraries to quickly find out what other libraries hold an item, and software can facilitate the requesting and supplying of interlibrary loans. In the U.S., OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) is usually used by public and academic libraries, and RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) is used primarily by academic libraries, although some libraries are members of both. Australia and New Zealand use Kinetica and Te Puna respectively, the national bibliographic networks of those countries.

Related Topics:
Union catalog - OCLC - RLIN

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Libraries that do not belong to a network can participate in interlibrary loan by making the arrangements by postal mail, fax, email or phone. Requests placed in one of these ways are referred to as manual requests.

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Urgent requests are placed if the item is needed urgently. These requests should be prioritised and supplied quickly. Books may be posted by courier and photocopies may be faxed or scanned and sent electronically. Additional fees may be charged for urgent service.

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