Interlibrary Loan Services
Interlibrary Loan Service and Policy
Contacts:
Information Services 1-800-307-2665 or (402) 471-4016
Fax (Reference Desk) (402) 471-6244
email
Nebraska Library Commission
Interlibrary Loan Request Form
Mail:
Information Services
Nebraska Library Commission
The Atrium
1200 N Street, Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68508
What is Interlibrary Loan?
An Interlibrary Loan is a transaction in
which library material, or a copy of the
material, is made available by one library to
another upon request. The phrase "library
materials" includes all formats. The purpose
of Interlibrary Loan as defined by the
Interlibrary Loan Code for Nebraska is to
obtain library material not available in the
local library. It is permissible to request
on Interlibrary Loan any type of library
material which the lending library is willing
and able to lend.
Many Nebraska libraries provide ILL services to their customers
directly. When libraries are unable to provide local ILL services, the
Library Commission will facilitate transactions using the OCLC
Interlibrary Loan system. The Interlibrary Loan
tip sheet
can be helpful for understanding how this service works. Interlibrary
Loan service is also offered to Nebraska state employees for work
related information needs. In some cases, loans may be more easily
facilitated by using an
ALA Interlibrary Loan Request Form.
Who may use Interlibrary Loan?
Anyone who is a state employee may use
the Interlibrary Loan service to obtain
materials for job related purposes.
As of July 1st, 2001, the Nebraska Library Commission began providing back-up Interlibrary Loan Service to Nebraska libraries who formerly used resource centers. A goal of the Nebraska Library Commission is to provide interlibrary loan transactions in a timely and effective manner. When local libraries are unable to provide local ILL services, the Library Commission will facilitate the Interlibrary Loan transactions using the OCLC Interlibrary Loan system. Libraries currently directly providing ILL services to customers will continue providing this service.
What kind of material can be borrowed through
Interlibrary Loan?
In general any item that has been
published and cataloged can be obtained
through Interlibrary Loan. Books and
copies of periodical articles are the main
resources available. We will not accept requests for books published
within the last 12 months or still on best seller lists. Most
libraries are unwilling and unable to lend new titles because of the demand generated by their own customers.
Some libraries may own but will not loan the
following items:
** Recently published, popular or
rare books
** Entire copy of a journal
** Microfilm or fiche
** Thesis or dissertation
** Audiovisual material
What information is needed to borrow a book?
The patron should provide as much
information as possible to help locate the
requested item:
** Author's last name, first name
and/or middle initial(s)
** Title
** Publisher
** Date of publication (or approximate
time span in which it might have
been published)
If there is some confusion about the
specific item requested, the additional
information should be asked:
** Place of publication, if not a well-known publisher
** Specific edition; otherwise any
available edition may be sent
** Title and volume number, if the book
is part of a series
** Name of the translator or editor, if
you want only a specific edition
** Source from which the citation was
taken, e.g. computer search,
bibliography of another article,
word of a colleague, TV or radio
program, publisher's promotional
literature, etc.
As much patron information as possible
should be included on the original request.
Name of patron, agency and phone number are
necessary. The patron should identify how
they would like to receive their request by
marking interoffice mail, pick up, fax or send
through regular mail. For back-up ILL requests from libraries, the material will be sent to the initiating library.
How to obtain a journal article
In most cases a lending library will not be able to lend an
entire issue of a journal, even for review
purposes. In such a case, the Library
Commission will try to find a lender. If no
lender is found the publisher's address will
be provided by the Library Commission so the
patron may write for a sample copy. The
patron may request a specific magazine article
through Interlibrary Loan.
The following information is needed to
place the journal request:
** Title of the journal
** Volume and/or number
** Date
** Pages on which the article is found
and ends
** Name of the article author
** Title of article
** Source from which the citation was
taken
If the patron's requests are the result
of a computer search, a printed copy should be
sent to Information Services using one of the means of contact listed at the beginning and end of this article, with
the requested articles highlighted or marked
in some way to identify the requests.
If journal citations are received with
insufficient information and the patron cannot
give more information they will be passed onto
Information Services for verification. If
Information Services is unable to verify the
citation, the patron will be notified that the
request cannot be filled.
If Nebraska locations are used a request
may take 2-3 days. If items are requested
outside the state items may take 7-10 working
days to receive. Delivery via fax is available
upon request.
The Information Services staff
should be notified by the patron if the
request is a RUSH or needed as soon as
possible so that information can be included in the request to lending
libraries. Interlibrary
Loan requests are placed in the order they are received.
How to submit an Interlibrary Loan request
In most cases many Interlibrary Loan
requests start at the Information Services desk.
Reference staff can help locate book and
article needs by providing searches. These
searches determine where the requested
material might be located. If a patron has
complete citations from other sources they may
be referred directly to the Interlibrary Loan
Department. Both book and journal requests
will be accepted by phone, fax, postal mail, e-mail, or via the Ask-A-Librarian web page. Walk-ins are welcome.
When you receive and return the materials, please contact the Reference Desk by one of the means listed at the beginning or end of this page, and give them the ILL number and title of the material and explain that you have received or returned the item.
How many requests may a patron submit?
There is no limit on how many requests
may be submitted by a patron over an extended
period of time. However, depending upon work flow, Nebraska Library Commission Information Services staff may only be able to place 10 requests per patron per day.
Is there a charge for Interlibrary Loan?
Generally, there is no charge passed on to state
agency personnel for job-related materials or for ILL requests from libraries.
The Library Commission will absorb up to
$20.00 in Interlibrary Loan costs. If the
item requested is only available from a library that charges more than $20.00 per transaction the
patron will be notified and, upon their approval,
will be billed for the entire cost of the
item.
What is the duration of a Loan?
The lending library will determine the
length of the loan and length will vary library to
library. The loan period will be clearly
indicated on the Interlibrary Loan book band on
the library material. Interlibrary Loan
material needs to be returned promptly by the
due date. All Interlibrary Loans are subject
to recall. The patron will be notified and
the item should be returned as soon as
possible.
How to request renewal for materials borrowed:
If the item has a book band, it was
borrowed from another library. It may already
have a stamp notice on it indicating that it
cannot be renewed. If no such notice is on
the band, a renewal request can be placed by using one of the means of contact listed at the beginning and end of this article. It may take a few days to confirm, since the
Library Commission must first contact the
lending library. The patron may keep the book
until otherwise notified. If the renewal is
not granted, the patron may ask that a second
copy of the item be requested from another
library at the time the patron returns the
first copy.
How to request a renewal for materials
borrowed from NLC:
If the renewal request is for something
that is on loan from the Library Commission
collection, you may contact Information Services in any of the ways listed above to request a renewal.
The renewal request will be placed
with the circulation department. Upon
approval, the patron will be notified of the
new due date. If the item is not available
and is on reserve, the patron will be notified
to return the item as soon as possible.
What if a patron loses materials?
If a patron loses materials borrowed
through Interlibrary Loan the loaning library
may choose to charge for its loss and/or
replacement. The patron will then be notified
and responsible for the cost of replacement.
Overdue materials
If the patron keeps a loan considerably
beyond its due date, the loaning library may
ask that the patron either return the book or
pay for its replacement. The Library
Commission will inform the patron if such a
request is made and arrange for the return of
the item or the payment of the charge.
The Library Commission
staff do their very best to find the material
or information requested by the patron.
If the material requested is not what the
patron requested or needs, the patron should
return the item to the Interlibrary Loan
Department. Information Services will help to determine if there is a need to re-initiate the request.
Contacts:
Information Services 1-800-307-2665 or (402) 471-4016
Fax (Reference) (402) 471-6244
email
Interlibrary Loan
Code for Nebraska
Nebraska Library Commission Interlibrary Loan Request Form
mail:
Information Services
NLC
The Atrium
1200 N Street, Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68508