Interlibrary Loans- Part 2

Interlibrary loans are utilized in order to bring the information to the people. There is innumerable information available about any given topic, and it is impossible for any singular institution to house everything. Therefore, libraries agree to share their resources so that patrons will have access to much more information than can ever be in one single place.

In order for the interlibrary loan system to function optimally, there needs to be an established operating procedure that is agreed upon by the participating libraries. There also needs to be strong communication between the libraries, and of course the utmost respect for the materials borrowed. There are sometimes fees incurred with this service, and a waiting period to receive the materials can be lengthy. Often times the original text is not sent, but rather a photocopy of the material is sent. These are just some considerations to keep in mind before placing the request.

I see interlibrary loans as the library's version of a business doing what it can to keep the customer happy so that they come back again. It is a service that I have recommended to many others and one that I will continue to use myself. I hope that libraries continue to have the funding nevessary to provide this service.

Here are some links that relate to interlibrary loaning that may be useful to you. Enjoy!
http://www.loc.gov/rr/loan/illscanhome.html Library of Congress's Digital Interlibrary Loan program
http://www.nmrls.org/ill/illcode.shtml The National ILL Code for the US
http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/protools/referenceguide/interlibrary.cfm ALA ILL Code revised 2001
http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/flin/pdf/FLINmanual.pdf Florida Library Information Network
http://www.lib.usf.edu/public/index.cfm?Pg=InterlibraryLoanFAQs USF ILL questions

Interlibrary Loan- Part One

The interlibrary loan is my favorite library service. I am amazed that the library will work so hard to find you exactly what you need and go through a series of channels to find it for you. There is little or no cost associated with this service, and the service that you receive is fantastic.

A few months back my husband asked me to go to a bookstore and pick up a specific book for him. I was very happy to oblige his request, but since we were (still are) trying to be careful with our budget, I asked if he would mind if I tried the library. My feeling is, truthfully, unless you are going to read/ refer to the book a number of times, why buy it? He reluctantly agreed, and I was off on my quest.

At the library reference desk, I asked if they had the book in their stacks. They did not, so she checked some nearby libraries. They did not have it either, so she then suggested that I take advantage of the interlibrary loan in order to locate the book. She explained that they would keep looking for the book, county to county than out to different states, asking the nearest ones first. The librarian took down the information and said that it might take a few weeks to get it. We got a phone call two weeks later that the book had come in and that we an come pick it up. When I went to get it, It said that it had come from a library in Oregon. We live in South Florida- that is one long trip!