What is Interlibrary Loan?
Interlibrary Loan is a service that we offer to our current students, faculty, and staff to obtain materials not available in our local collection. Requested items may include books, journal articles, microforms, videos, etc. All materials are obtained within the guidelines of copyright legislation.
You must check the patrons photo ID before giving them their materials.
How do I request books through Interlibrary Loan?
The login for your inter-library loan account is your NTNET username and password.
Normally ILL service is free, but the lending library may charge a lending fee. If this occurs the patron will be notified via email to inquire whether or not they want to pay the fee.
How long does it take to get items through ILL?
It varies depending upon the type of item, the location of the lending library, and the availability of the item.
Articles: Articles are generally a quick turn around, BUT... if it is from a obscure journal, older journal, or out of country it may take awhile -- and in some cases we may not be able to get it.
Loans: Hard copies of books take a little longer. I tell patrons not to expect a book for 1-2 weeks. Sometimes it's faster, and sometimes it takes longer. Again, it depends on the location of the library and the availability of the item.
Can I request DVDs or CDs?
It is more difficult to get DVDs and CDs, but yes, there are some libraries who loan them.
Can I request an electronic copy of a book?
Copyright law usually does not allow us to borrow e-books. We can sometimes get chapters of books though, but only one chapter from each library.
Can I request a textbook for my class?
Yes, but there are some things you need to remember:
Loan periods are usually 3-4 weeks -- sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. You will never get a book for the whole semester, and textbooks are quite expensive, so you don't want to have to pay for one if you happen to lose it, or you keep it past the due date.
Textbooks are sometimes difficult to get either because they are new or in high demand. The newer the book the harder it is to get. Many libraries will not loan out newly published book for up to a year.
You can request a renewal for you inter-library loan book, since we don't own the book we have to ask for a renewal from the lending library. There is a way to request a renewal through their inter-library loan account, but it is only available a few days before the due date. Once that time has passed the patron will need to email ill@tarleton.edu or call 254-968-9660 to request a renewal for the item. Please make sure that the patron understands that renewals are NOT guaranteed. The patron will receive an email stating yes or no on the renewal.
Interlibrary Loan Processes
Checking out an ILL book:
A patron comes to the circulation desk and says they have an inter-library loan book they need to pick up.
Pull the book from the ILL shelf making sure that you are only pulling there books.
Remove the slip from the book, write your initials and the date somewhere on the slip.
Hand the books to the patron.
Place the slip on ILL specialist's desk.
1. A patron wants to return an ILL book that they no longer need.
2. Take the book, but check to make sure that the book-strap is still attached to the book.
3. Place the book in the plastic container located in the inter-library loan area.
1. A patron wants to renew their ILL book.
2. Inform the student that they can renew an item through their inter-library loan account. They will need to look at the request for the book they want to renew and go through that request.
3. They can email ill@tarleton.edu or call 254-968-9660 or speak to the Interlibrary Loan Specialist or the Coordinator of Access Services
If they have an overdue ILL item it will show in their Sirsi account.