Interlibrary Loan Policy at McGaw Library
The purpose of interlibrary loan
Definition of interlibrary loan
Who may use our service
Types of materials available
Materials requested from our library or other libraries
Processing time
Returning material
Renewal requests
Contact
The purpose of interlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan is used to obtain materials, such as books, audiovisual media, and magazine articles not available at McGaw Library. It is also used to loan materials found in McGaw Library not found at other libraries.
Definition of interlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan is a transaction between two libraries in which library material, or a copy of the material, is made available for a patron to use.
Students, faculty, staff, and community patrons who have a library card are registered borrowers at McGaw Library.
The lending library determines what materials may or may not be loaned. Reference materials, bound and print periodicals, rare books, and computer software are, generally, not loaned to other libraries.
Materials requested from our library or other libraries
Requested material sent from our library to other libraries may be kept four weeks and renewed upon request at the discretion of the Public Services Librarian. There are no charges for ILL materials requested from our library
Other lending libraries determine charges for their material and patrons may list any cost they are willing to incur on the ILL Request Form. Anyone may obtain an ILL Request Form at the Circulation Desk, or use the online form. Students, faculty, and staff will be notified by email or by phone when materials arrive.
Any lending library (ours or another) determines their own due dates and these dates should be respected. Also, be aware that a lending library has the option of recalling an ILL at any time. Repeated disregard of due dates by any patron will lead to a revocation of ILL services until all materials have been returned or related costs/fines have been paid. Any loss of borrowed materials will result in a charge to that patron.
Removing identifying bands, stickers, paperwork, etc. may result in the loss of ILL privileges.
Although we are happy to place ILL requests on your behalf, we cannot guarantee that any material can be obtained through our lending network, or that it will arrive by a certain time.
Materials requested from our library are processed and shipped within 24 hours of receipt. Materials requested from other libraries should arrive within 10 days to two weeks. However, delays can occur due to external factors.
All borrowed ILL materials need to be returned to the Public Services Librarian by the due date listed.
If a renewal is needed, the patron should notify the Public Services Librarian in person, by phone, or through email. Renewals and renewal dates are at the discretion of the lending institution.
If you have any questions about our interlibrary loan policies or want to learn more about our services, please contact the Public Services Librarian.