Interlibrary Loan Policy
Approved 9/20/99, reviewed 10/16/00, amended 9/18/01, 8/19/02, reviewed 8/18/03, 8/16/04, 8/15/05, 8/21/06, 8/20/07, amended 8/18/08, reviewed 8/17/09, 8/16/10, 8/15/11, amended 8/20/12, 8/19/13, 8/18/14, reviewed 8/17/15, amended 8/15/16, 8/21/17, reviewed 8/20/18, amended 8/19/19, reviewed 8/17/21, 8/15/22, reviewed 4/2023, 4/15/24
Principles:
Interlibrary loan is a transaction in which the Delphi Public Library borrows materials directly from another library on behalf of a patron, or another library borrows materials from the Delphi Public Library on behalf of its patron.
Interlibrary loan is a primary service that supports the mission of the library by providing enhanced access to library materials and information. The purpose of interlibrary loan is to obtain materials not available in the library and to provide material from the collection to other libraries. 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 local resources first, including its own collection and those of neighboring libraries in special circumstances, before requesting items on interlibrary loan.
Items in frequent or recurring demand will be considered for purchase. The library will not seek loans of materials that have 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. The Delphi Public Library endorses the principles relating to interlibrary loan included in the Indiana Library Resource Sharing Manual, the ALA Interlibrary Loan Code, the U.S. Copyright Law and U.S. Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) Guidelines, and federal and state laws governing confidentiality of records. In order to provide the most effective and efficient interlibrary loan service, the library participates in the resource sharing efforts offered by the Indiana State Library, including Indiana Share, Info Express delivery service, and SRCS (Statewide Remote Circulation System).
Interlibrary Borrowing:
This service is offered to all patrons holding a valid library card from the Delphi Public Library, including resident, reciprocal, nonresident, and PLAC card borrowers. The interlibrary loan borrowing privileges of patrons with overdue items are suspended until all overdue materials have been renewed (as allowable by the Circulation Policy) or returned, or patrons have paid all replacement costs for any items not returned. Failure to return interlibrary loan items on time or to pick up items ordered may result in the suspension of interlibrary loan services for the delinquent patron.
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 in the library, and electronic full-text information available to the library via the Inspire database or the Internet. (To support the library’s monthly book clubs, however, the library staff may request multiple copies of a book club selection, even if the library already owns a copy.)
A patron may place a request in person at the library, via email, or over the telephone. Forms are available for placing a request. Service will be provided as quickly as possible. Turnaround time varies depending upon the lending library and the materials requested. Patrons will be notified by telephone, email, or by U.S. mail if the patron does not have a telephone or email address available. The library will strictly observe any conditions for use of loaned materials that are imposed by a lending library. The library will not charge its patrons a fee for borrowing via interlibrary loan. If the lending library specifies that it requires costs for photocopies or mailing a particular requested material, patrons will be consulted about their willingness to pay before materials are borrowed. The library will endeavor to collect any charges for overdue materials, loss, or damage from the patron who received the materials. The library will be responsible for materials borrowed on behalf of its patrons from the time the material leaves the lending library until it is returned there. The library agrees to pay for overdue charges, damage, or loss of materials borrowed on interlibrary loan. The library will maintain records of transactions in order to inform patrons of the status of their requests and will annually report activity as required to the Indiana State Library.
Interlibrary Lending:
This service is offered to other libraries that abide by the conditions set forth in the Interlibrary Borrowing section of this policy.
The library endeavors to make available the broadest range of materials for interlibrary loan, with the following exceptions:
ï‚· Materials limited by licensing agreements
ï‚· Materials designated as non-circulating (reference)
ï‚· Equipment
ï‚· Ereaders
The library also reserves the right to refuse to lend other materials or to ask a borrowing library to restrict use of materials lent. Requests to borrow materials from the library are accepted via the Statewide Remote Circulation System (SRCS). The circulation period for items lent on interlibrary loan will be eight (8) weeks. Items are due at the borrowing library on that date and will not be considered overdue at this library for two (2) weeks after the due date. Renewals will be granted unless the material is needed by another patron of the library. The library will not charge for lending materials, except for insurance, photocopy, fax, or mailing costs, if any. The library will not charge the borrowing library for materials that are overdue, but will charge for materials that are damaged or lost on interlibrary loan.
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