Marshall Public Library

Interlibrary Loan Policy

Approved by The Board of Trustees, September 28, 2004

I. Principles

          Interlibrary loan is a primary service that supports the mission of the Marshall Public Library by providing enhanced access to library materials and information. The purpose of interlibrary loan is to obtain, upon request by a patron, materials not available in the Library and, by providing material owned by the Library to other libraries, assist them in meeting their needs.

          The Library affirms that interlibrary loan is an adjunct to, not a substitute for, the Library's collection. In meeting patron needs, the Library will exhaust its own collection before requesting items on interlibrary loan. Items in frequent or recurring demand will be considered for purchase. The Library will not normally seek loans of material that has been published within the last twelve (12) months.

          The Library will keep its interlibrary loan policy up to date and make it available to users and other libraries upon request.

II. Definition

          Interlibrary loan is a transaction in which the Marshall Public Library borrows materials directly from another library on behalf of a patron, or another library borrows materials from the Marshall Public Library on behalf of its patron.

III. Conditions of Service

          The Marshall Public Library endorses the principles relating to interlibrary loan, including those of the Idaho State Library, the ALA Interlibrary Loan Code, the U.S. Copyright Law and U.S. Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) Guidelines, and all federal and state laws governing confidentiality of records.

IV. Interlibrary Borrowing

A. Users

          This service is offered to all patrons holding a valid library card issued by the Marshall Public Library. Patrons requesting an Interlibrary Loan assume responsibility for the loan, even if the loan is picked up by someone acting as the requesting patron’s agent. Parents are responsible for all Interlibrary Loans requested by their minor children.

          The interlibrary loan borrowing privileges of delinquent patrons are suspended until any overdue materials have been returned by them and payment of all overdue and/or other charges are made.

B. Types of Materials Borrowed

          Interlibrary Loan is an integral element in collection development. The Interlibrary Loan staff will request materials not owned by the library or missing from the library's collection, or materials owned by the library that are in the process of being repaired and are temporarily unavailable. Materials that will not be requested include items owned by the Library and temporarily in use or on reserve and full-text electronic information available to the Library via the Internet or other means.

C. How To Submit a Request

          A patron may complete a Request Form at the circulation desk or at the reference desk. Requests can also be submitted via email, but these will not be submitted until the requesting patron signs a Request Form; these will be discarded if the Request Form is not signed within five (5) business days of the date of the email request. Requests for photocopies must include indication of compliance with the U.S. Copyright Law.

D. Turnaround Time

          The Marshall Public Library has no control over how long it takes to obtain an Interlibrary Loan and cannot guarantee that materials will arrive by a certain date. Patrons will be notified by telephone, email, or the most expeditious means when their request is ready to be picked up.

E. Conditions of Use

          The Library will strictly observe any conditions for use of loaned materials that are imposed by a lending library. These may include, but are not limited to, use only in the Library.

F. Charges

          The Library will absorb up to five dollars ($5.00) of any fees assessed beyond that of postage for borrowing materials available from libraries in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, California, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, Utah or New Mexico; the balance must be paid by the patron. Patrons are also responsible for the entire cost (other than postage) associated with obtaining photocopies.

          Patrons are responsible for all costs associated with borrowing materials from elsewhere in the United States or from a country other than the United States, including Canada.

G. Responsibility

          Because the Library is responsible for materials borrowed on behalf of its patrons from the time the material leaves the lending library until it is returned there and agrees to pay for overdue charges, damage, or loss of materials borrowed on Interlibrary Loan, the Marshall Public Library assesses the following penalties:

          1. Failure to pick up items requested on Interlibrary Loan will result in a fee of $5.00 per item not picked up;

          2. Items borrowed on Interlibrary Loan which are returned after the due date will incur overdue charges equal to those charged by the lending library or twenty-five cents per day per item, whichever is greater;

          3. Patrons who fail to return materials borrowed on Interlibrary Loan will be prosecuted under the provisions of Section 33-2620 of the Idaho Statutes.

H. Statistics

          The Library will maintain records of transactions in order to inform patrons of the status of their requests, and will report Interlibrary Loan activity as required.

V. Interlibrary Lending

A. Users

          This service is offered to other libraries that abide by the conditions set forth in section III of this policy.

B. Materials Available

          The Library endeavors to make available the broadest range of materials for Interlibrary Loan, with the following exceptions:

          1. Materials limited by licensing agreements;

          2. Materials designated as non-circulating (e.g., reference material);

          3. Equipment, including but not limited to, folding chairs, typewriters, VCRs, and projectors;

          4. Recently published materials, or materials in demand at the Library.

          The Library also reserves the right to refuse to lend materials or to ask a borrowing library to restrict use of materials lent.

C. Format for Requests

          Requests to borrow materials can be made electronically, or by fax, telephone, or mail. Rush requests will be accommodated if time and staffing permit.

D. Turnaround

          The Library will fill requests as quickly as possible, striving to provide a response within three (3) business days from the date of receipt.

E. Circulation Period

          The circulation period for items lent on Interlibrary Loan will be the same as that for regular circulation. Items are due at the borrowing library on that date and will not be considered overdue at the Library for two (2) weeks after the due date. Unless the materials are needed at the Library, they can be renewed once if a renewal request is received before the due date.

F. Charges

           Except for insurance, photocopy, fax, or special mailing costs, the Library will not normally charge to lend materials. The Library will charge the borrowing library for materials that are overdue, damaged, or lost on Interlibrary Loan; there will be an additional charge of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) if it is possible to accommodate a rush request.