Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Policy
What is Interlibrary Loan?
Interlibrary Loan, or ILL, is the borrowing and lending of materials between libraries. If the Ada Community Library, or a local consortium library, does not have the material you need, we can attempt to get it for you through the ILL system. All attempts should be made to use the resources available at ACL first. We try to find a library that has the material, and ask that library to lend it to us so we can lend it to you.
Who can use Interlibrary Loan?
Anyone who has a current Ada or Boise library card may make requests. You must not have a block on your card or fines over $10.00.
Requesting ILLs
If you don’t find the item you wish to borrow in the LYNX! Catalog, you may search for it in the Lili Unlimited Catalog [1]. This database can be found on the library’s Databases by Topic page under Other Libraries Collections. Broaden your search to include WorldCat. Once you find your title, fill out the online InterLibrary Loan form by clicking on the ILL icon or on the words “Borrow this item from another library.” Or you may request items by phone or in person. We also have Interlibrary Loan Forms which are located in front of the computer terminals at Circulation, and at the Information Services desk. Fill out the form with the author and title, your name, address, and telephone number. Fill in the amount of charges you would be willing to pay. Give the form to a staff member at Circulation or Information Services.
Limits on Requests
We encourage patrons to limit requests to 3 at a time, unless you are working on a special project, or research with a deadline. The Head of Information Services can give permission for a larger number.
How long does it take to get material?
The speed of service depends on the availability of material at participating libraries, as well as the distance and the speed of processing at those libraries. Requests typically take from two weeks to one month to fill. It is impossible to guarantee a loan, or a delivery date.
How long may I keep the material?
The lending library determines how long you may keep items. You are usually allowed two to four weeks. All materials must be returned to the library from which they were checked out.
What about copies of articles?
You may obtain photocopies of magazine or journal articles through ILL. A search should first be done of our in-house collection and our reference databases on our web page at www.adalib.org [2]. When you make your request, please supply us with the title of the article, date of publication, volume number (if available), and issue number (if available), the magazine or journal in which it appears, and the page numbers on which the article appears.
Your use of the photocopy must follow the provisions for fair use specified in the Federal Copyright Act. Generally, this means you may use the photocopy for personal study. You may not reproduce it for any other purpose without obtaining permission from the holder of the copyright.
What about genealogical material?
Genealogical materials such as family histories and newspaper announcements of weddings, births, and deaths, are often difficult to obtain. Occasionally a library will photocopy such materials, sometimes charging a fee, in response to a request. For any genealogical request, you should provide us with the family names and approximate dates you are researching.
What cannot be ordered through ILL?
We will not borrow through Interlibrary Loan anything that has the current year copyright, mass-produced paperbacks (especially fiction), books on the best-seller list, books in current high demand, or items we, or any local consortium library owns. Many libraries will not lend audio or videocassettes, CDs, DVDs, video games or Reference materials.
Cost
Interlibrary loan service is free of charge, unless the lending library charges a fee. Many libraries charge between $5.00 and $10.00 for photocopies. Some libraries charge for all loans. We will make every attempt to obtain items that are free. (Items that are not picked up will result in a $2.50 charge.)
Notification
When the requested item is received at ACL, we will notify you by telephone, mail or email. We will make every effort to obtain your requests in a timely manner, and notify you if they cannot be filled via ILL.
Renewal
Renewal requests should be made before the due date. The Circulation staff will inform you at the time of checkout if renewals are not allowed. The lending library will be contacted and you will be notified of the library’s response to the request. You may continue to use the loaned items while the renewal request is pending.
What if I am late returning an item, or it is lost or stolen?
ILL items incur fines at the same rate as ACL items. Contact us immediately if your ILL material is lost or stolen. You are financially responsible for lost or stolen items. We will contact the lending library, and they will notify us of the cost of replacing the item.