Interlibrary Loan
 

WHAT IS AN INTERLIBRARY LOAN (ILL)?

 An Interlibrary Loan is the process by which a library requests material from, or supplies material to, another library.  Interlibrary Loan encompasses transactions among libraries not under the same administration, system or school district.

 The RPL staff will make every effort to utilize the resources of its own library before resorting to Interlibrary Loan.  Therefore, in compliance with the Pennsylvania Interlibrary Loan Code (revised October 2010), the Reading Public Library will not request materials that are part of its own collection or that of other Berks County Public Libraries, through Interlibrary Loan.     

 INTERLIBRARY LOAN IS A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT

 Adult patrons (in good standing with the library) may make a request for an Interlibrary Loan item.  Upon receipt, individuals are responsible for the safety and proper handling of their ILL materials.  Patrons will be held financially responsible for damage to or loss of an Interlibrary Loan item.  Continued disregard of due dates, accumulated fines and the mishandling of ILL materials are sufficient reasons for suspension of Interlibrary Loan borrowing privileges.

 In accordance with policy established by RPL’s Professional Development Staff, the following items will NOT be requested through Interlibrary Loan:

• BEST SELLERS AND NEWLY PUBLISHED TITLES (within 6-12 months
• MATERIALS OWNED LOCALLY (that can be found within the Berks County Public Library System)
• NEWLY RELEASED/POPULAR AUDIO-VISUAL ITEMS (within 12 months)
• RARE BOOKS (special collection materials and archival items)
• TEXTBOOKS/COURSE MATERIALS NEEDED LONGER THAN 4 WEEKS
• ELECTRONIC BOOKS & LICENSED COMPUTER SOFTWARE DATA FILES
• REFERENCE MATERIALS
• PERIODICALS AND JOURNALS

Please note:  Large/oversized volumes or multiple volume sets should not be requested through Interlibrary Loan, if it can be avoided.  This type of material is difficult to obtain and expensive to ship.

 HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BORROW ITEMS THROUGH INTERLIBRARY LOAN?

 Every effort will be made to obtain requested materials at no cost to our patrons from other libraries.  Occasionally, however, a lending library will charge a lending fee ranging from $10.00 to $50.00.  Since lending fees are passed on the patron, it is very important that you indicate on the Interlibrary Loan form how much you are willing to pay for a requested item.

 Patrons returning Interlibrary Loan items after the due date will incur a fine of 50 cents a day.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET AN ITEM THROUGH INTERLIBRARY LOAN AND HOW LONG CAN I KEEP IT ONCE RECEIVED?

 PLEASE ALLOW 7-10 BUSINESS DAYS if the requested Interlibrary Loan item is found within the state of Pennsylvania and is available for shipping by the lending library.

 PLEASE ALLOW 2-3 WEEKS if the requested Interlibrary Loan material is being shipped to the Reading Public Library from a library in another state.

 DUE DATES for Interlibrary Loan items are determined by the lending libraries, not the Reading Public Library.  Most libraries will lend an item for 2 to 4 weeks.  It should be noted that only one (1) renewal can be given on an Interlibrary Loan book, if applicable.  Audio-Visual materials are always NON-RENEWABLE.

COPYRIGHT LAW GUIDELINES (section 108(g)(2) permit a requesting library to receive five articles annually from a single journal title.  It prohibits systematic photocopying of copyrighted materials but permits interlibrary loan arrangements that do not have as their purpose “that the library receiving such copies for distribution does so in such aggregate quantities as to substitute for a subscription to or purchase of such work.”

CONFIDENTIALITY:  As with the circulation records of libraries, Interlibrary Loan requests are held in the strictest confidence.

 To make an Interlibrary Loan Request or to obtain more information regarding this valuable service, please contact the Reference Department (610) 655-6355 at the Reading Public Library.

Updated 7/2012