Answered By: Dr. Cate
Last Updated: May 07, 2020     Views: 50

Interlibrary Loans (ILL)

Interlibrary Loans (ILL) generally refers to borrowing materials from libraries outside the Maricopa County Community College District. If local resources are inadequate, lending requests can be made to other libraries on statewide, regional, or national levels.

Eligibility

All currently enrolled students, full time and adjunct faculty, and staff are eligible to borrow materials. 

What may be borrowed?

  • Materials not owned by the Library
  • Materials declared missing from the collection

What may not be borrowed?

  • Books owned by PPL or MCCCD that are currently checked out to another customer.
  • Materials that are on Reserve at the library's 2nd floor information desk.
  • Most libraries will not lend the following types of materials:
    • Rare materials including manuscripts;
    • Bulky or fragile items that are difficult or expensive to ship;
    • Materials in high demand at the lending library;
    • Material with local circulation restrictions, e.g. reference books, encyclopedias; complete issues of journals;
    • Unique materials that would be difficult or impossible to replace.
    • Consumable works

Copyright

The Library adheres to copyright law; observes the provisions of the "fair use clause"; and pays copyright fees to the Copyright Clearance Center for copies above fair use.

How to request materials

  • Before requesting an ILL item, please make sure it is not available in the Phoenix Public Library System or MCCCD by checking the Phoenix Library's Online Catalog and MCCCD's Catolog for books as well as the Journal Locator for magazines/journals.

  • All ILL requests must be submitted using our self-serve Interlibrary loan service, ILLIAD. Set up a personal account within ILLIAD to be able to submit requests online.  In order to facilitate receipt of material, online request forms should be filled out as completely as possible and abbreviations should be avoided. First time ILLIAD users can sign up for the service by clicking here. 

How long does it take?

For easy-to-locate items, it will normally take between 2 and 3 weeks to fill an InterLibrary Loan request. For more difficult titles, it may take longer, especially if materials are requested from foreign countries or specialized libraries.

Costs?

Services are offered free of charge unless the library from which the item is obtained imposes a service charge or a photocopying fee. You set a maximum amount that you would be willing to pay with each request, which may be $0. You must pay any charges up to the maximum agreed to, before receiving the requested items. If items are not picked up, you are still responsible for these charges. Charges will be added to your patron record and handled in accordance with the Library Debt Policies.

Borrower's responsibilities

  • Borrowed materials must be returned to the Library by the due date.  
  • Photocopies become the property of patrons and need not be returned.
  • The patron is responsible for replacement costs of items lost or damaged, or for materials not returned, plus a $10 nonrefundable handling fee per item.

Notification

Patrons will be notified by telephone or email when a book or journal article is received. Patrons may pick up materials at the first floor information desk in the library. 

Loan period

The loan period is determined by the lending institution and is usually two to three weeks.

Renewals

Lending libraries discourage renewals on Interlibrary Loan materials, but if a renewal is necessary, a request should be made through the Library at least two days before the due date. If you find that you need to keep ILL material for longer than the loan period given, you may request an extension of the due date. The Library will then ask the lending library to extend the due date.

You may request a renewal by phone at 602-243-8363.

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