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Interlibrary Loan Service Policies

ROLLING PRAIRIE LIBRARY SYSTEM

Interlibrary Loan Service Policies

Materials from the Rolling Prairie Library System Professional Collection are available for Interlibrary Loan and have a four-week loan period. 

BEST SELLERS

The purpose of interlibrary loan is to provide library materials to library patrons that are not available at their local library. It is not a substitute for local purchase of often-requested titles. These titles are usually not available through interlibrary loan. Libraries are urged to add these popular titles to their own local collection whenever possible.

LOAN PERIODS

Individual libraries set their own loan periods for materials. Please honor these loan periods when interlibrary loaning. No materials may be kept for longer than four weeks without specific permission from the loaning library. Bestsellers (on the LLSAP high demand list) circulate for two weeks, with no renewals. Uniform local loan periods are encouraged. See LLSAP and OCLC procedures for more information.

RENEWALS

Books borrowed through ILL may be renewed once, for a maximum total loan period of four weeks. If a patron needs the book longer than the two-week renewal period, the librarian should make a request for another copy of the item so that it arrives at the end of the renewal period. In this manner the patron will have uninterrupted access to the material needed.

LABELING OF MATERIALS FOR DELIVERY

1. MATERIALS SENT THROUGH RPLS DELIVERY
1. Libraries may use the Horizon transit sleeve or the receipt from a receipt printer.
2. When using the transit sleeve, Fill in Deliver TO: and be sure to check the box for type of library.
3. When returning materials, always cross out your library name.
4. When sending materials on to another library, remove the old label and place a new label on the item.
2. MATERIALS TO BE RETURNED TO ILLINOIS LIBRARIES OUTSIDE OF RPLS OR DIRECT STOPS ON ILDS
1. Determine if the library is a direct stop on the ILDS delivery system.
2. If a Direct stop library complete the ILDS label (pdf). Write the name of the destination library on the To line, your library’s name on the From line, and circle the three letter code for the final destination library.
3. If not an ILDS Destination library, determine the system that the library is a member. Use ELI to learn this information. For the Prairie Area Library System Libraries it may be easier to use the information on their website.
4. Complete the ILDS label (pdf). Write the name of the destination library on the To line, your library’s name on the From line, and circle the three letter code for the library system they are a member of.
5. Attach the label securely but in a non-permanent manner (removable tape) to the item and place in delivery.
3. MATERIALS BORROWED OR RETURNED BY RPLS LIBRARIES THAT ARE ILDS DIRECT STOPS. Follow the instructions as given to you by ILDS.
4. OUT OF STATE The borrowing library should return materials that are borrowed from libraries outside of Illinois in the same manner as they were received. DO NOT send to RPLS.

RECORD KEEPING

You should have copies of all the labels described above. Masters of any of these forms are available on the RPLS Website.

Always keep a record of exactly when you returned the book. Some libraries use the form from Output Measures for Public Libraries 2nd ed that tracks document delivery. Records should be kept for at least one year. If you receive an overdue notice you can cite your records as saying you returned the book and on a specific date.

FINES

Member libraries may not charge other libraries fines for interlibrary loan items returned late and in good condition.

Member libraries may charge their local patrons fines for the late return of materials borrowed on interlibrary loan. Such fines shall be charged according to the policy of the local library and kept by that library.

LOST BOOK CHARGES

In the event the borrowing patron does not pay for or return a lost item, it is the responsibility of the local borrowing library to pay the lost book fees due. If the borrowed item is returned or found after a bill has been sent, the local library patron should keep the book and pay the amount due. Libraries not meeting their obligations will be considered as failing to comply with the rules of the library system.

The borrowing library shall collect charges for lost books borrowed through interlibrary loan. The lost book charges are determined according to the policy of the lending library. Libraries may be billed in several ways..

1. An item borrowed from an RPLS library that is a member of the LLSAP.
• Overdue notices and invoices are generated on a schedule determined by the lending library’s policies. All notices including invoices are addressed directly to the borrowing patron. Overdue notices should be mailed to the borrowing patron. Invoices should be mailed to the borrowing patron and copied to the borrowing patron’s library.
• Before the lending library sends out the invoice, they should check their shelves. When an invoice is received, the borrowing library should also check their shelves. If the material is still lost 30 days after the invoice is sent, the borrowing library is responsible for payment. Payment should be made directly to the lending library.
• Libraries employing a collection agency may take action against another library’s patron in order to recover money owed as a result of a patron’s failure to return ILL items.
• Materials lost on RPLS delivery will be paid for by RPLS after 6 months. Both the lending and the borrowing libraries should check their shelves before requesting RPLS to pay for lost material. Written notification by the librarian of a loss in delivery is needed for payment. This notification should be on library letterhead and include the title of the item, Date lost and replacement cost.
2. An item borrowed from an RPLS library that is not a member of the LLSAP. The bill will come directly from the lending library. Payment should be returned directly to them.
3. An item borrowed from a library outside the System. Payment for bills from all other lending libraries should be sent directly to that library, not to RPLS. You should also always include a copy of the invoice with these payments.
4. An item borrowed from outside the System for which the lending library has asked for a replacement copy rather than payment The borrowing library should make arrangements directly with the lending library to provide a replacement.

ALA FORM

The ALA form should be used when requesting items or periodical articles from libraries outside RPLS. FirstSearch Resource Sharing should be used instead of the ALA form whenever possible. 

RECEIVING PHOTOCOPIES

If money is due for the photocopy, the bill from the lending library will usually be attached to the photocopy. Occasionally the bills come in at a later date. When this occurs, these charges should be paid directly to the supplier of the article(s). Never send the money to Rolling Prairie.

COPYRIGHT - PERIODICALS

Under the 1978 Copyright Law, libraries are restricted in the number of copies they may make of copyrighted articles. No more than 5 requests in the aggregate may be made in any calendar year for copies of an article or articles published in any particular journal within 5 years from the date of the request.

The ALA form and the FirstSearch Online ILL work form provides two boxes which should be checked as follows to indicate compliance with the law when requesting a photocopy.

1. Check CCG if the periodical from which the article is requested is less than five years old and complies with the guidelines (no more than five requests per year per library from the same periodical less than five years old.)
2. Check CCL if the periodical from which the article is requested is more than five years old. You can order as many articles as you want from the same periodical if the periodical is older than 5 years.

It is your responsibility to comply with this law. You should keep the necessary records that would determine any violations.

PHOTOCOPY REQUEST DO'S AND DON'TS

Do...

Be as complete as possible in filling out request forms. Always mark whether it is CCG or CCL.

Use ALA form or FirstSearch Resource Sharing.

Accept or send requests via FAX or mail. Use ILDS whenever possible as the means of delivering articles. Some libraries will send photocopies free through ILDS and charge for the photocopies if they are faxed back. Always ask to be notified of any charges before filling request.

Process periodical requests within four working days. If you cannot fill the request, send immediately to next library. If the request cannot be filled because the citation is wrong, return to the borrowing library, citing the reason for not filling it.

 Check the OCLC Message file for requests DAILY

Do Not...

Overburden one library. If they are the only library that owns the periodical you have several requests for, stagger the times you send it in.

Telephone requests in unless it is a valid EXPRESS. When you do this you're putting the burden on the lending library of filling out the request forms, locating the article, copying it and forwarding it.

Request entire issues of periodicals.

SILO NEW RECORD FORMS

Through the SILO Project RPLS member libraries have entered their periodical holdings into the OCLC database.

The linked form should be used by non-OCLC libraries to notify RPLS of new periodical titles acquired by libraries participating in SILO.

OCLC libraries also have the option to update their records directly. A master of the Silo New Record Form can be found on the RPLS Forms Page.