1. What is
Interlibrary Loan?
When the materials you need are not available in the Palm
Beach County Library System, you can request these materials
through our Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL). ILL staff
search for these materials and borrow them for you from other
libraries world wide.
To be successful in our search for these materials we need
to have specific information, such as the author, title,
publisher, date of publication, journal or citation for
photocopies or any other relevant information about the
material.
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to Table of Contents 2. Who Can Use
ILL?
Anyone who has a current Palm
Beach County Library card and is in good standing (no unpaid
fines or other charges, and overdue materials) can use this
service free of charge, and can place two interlibrary loan
requests per day.
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to Table of Contents 3. How Do I
Place a Request for Materials?
Ask for and fill out the
Interlibrary Loan Request Form, or consult the reference
librarians at any branch. You
may also place a request using the Online Interlibrary Loan
Request Form.
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Any Charges?
The Palm Beach County Library
provides free Interlibrary Loan Service. Through our
membership in several resource-sharing networks with
reciprocal agreements we can obtain most materials free of
charge. However, some lending libraries may charge a fee to
borrow or photocopy materials. You will be asked if
you wish to pay the fee for such service. Materials for which
there may be a charge will not be supplied unless the
willingness to pay the lending fee is indicated. The
lending charges may be $10 to $20 per loan.
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to Table of Contents 5. How Long
Will It Take?
The average time to obtain the
materials is one to four weeks. The time it takes depends on
availability of the materials requested, location of the
library that owns the materials and the type of delivery.
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6. How Do We Find Out Who Has What?
The Palm Beach County Library
System is a member of OCLC (Online Computer Library
Center) which provides access to numerous databases
containing millions and millions of records and library
locations that own the materials through out the United
States and the world.
Back to Table of Contents 7. How Long
Can I Keep ILL Materials?
Each lending library sets the due
date on the materials we borrow. Loan periods may vary from
library to library.
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8. What Type
of Materials Can Be Requested?
You may request books, photocopies
of journal, magazine and newspaper articles, microfilms,
various types of materials ranging from archival to modern,
fiction to serious research, and special collections
materials. There are some non-circulating items that we cannot
borrow, but if you wish to travel, we can tell you where they
are located. To request an interlibrary loan you must provide
a full citation (title of the journal, author and title of the
book or the article, volume, number, page, and the year, etc.)
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to Table of Contents 9. Can
Genealogy Materials Be Requested?
Genealogy materials in most cases
are hard to obtain. Libraries will sometimes photocopy
pertinent materials if you have a family name or citation for
a specific section of a book. Most genealogy materials are
non-circulating and thus cannot be borrowed.
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to Table of Contents 10. Can ILL
Material Be Renewed?
Only some lending libraries will grant
renewals. Ask your librarian several days prior to due
date to submit your request for renewal online. Overdue
materials cannot be renewed. You will be given a a new
due date at the time of your request, pending the lending
library approval. You will be notified only if the
renewal is denied.
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to Table of Contents 11. Why are
Some Requests Unfilled?
Every effort is made to fill your requests. Sometimes the
materials you want are not available. Some of the reasons for
unfilled requests are:
The author, title, or citation are incorrect.
Material is not owned by any library.
Book is in heavy demand or on Bestseller List.
Book is non-circulating, and for reference only (part
of special collection, rare, too fragile to lend, limited
edition, etc.)
Book is too new and highly-circulating. Some libraries
choose not to lend current year materials.
Book has not been published yet.
(
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12. What
Materials Cannot Be Requested?
Materials that should not be
requested through ILL include phonograph records, cassettes,
CDs, videocassettes, directories and indexes, reference
books and encyclopedias (multi-volume sets), and computer
disks.
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13. Who
Can I Contact About Interlibrary Loan?
If you have a question or
inquiry about interlibrary loan, please contact the
Interlibrary Loan Department at
illmail@pbclibrary.org, or call 561-233-2759,
561-233-2760, or from Boca-Delray/Glades area
1-888-780-4962.
Thank you for using
interlibrary loan, a free service for patrons of the Palm
Beach County Library System.
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