Thread: Interlibrary Loan

Can someone explain to me how this works? Is every book in any library available through this system?

David,

Just go to virtually any library (even a public library, where it may well be a free service already paid for by tax dollars) and tell them you want to borrow a book by ILL and they will be more than happy to help.

Libraries are losing patrons. Sadly, it's probably the beginning of the end for them. Librarians are having to put on dog and pony shows to get students (not ours) to darken their doors.

They'll be happy to help.

To answer the question, most libraries have a reciprocal relation. They loan to each other and the local library loans to you. There's usually a time limit. You go to a local library or a school library and ask for the ILL dept and tell them what you want -- you can find it on the Online Library of Congress (OCLC) and they'll order it for you.

I believe there are some books in some libraries that can not be loaned.