Delphi Public Library: Interlibrary Loan Policy

Ongoing Programs

Northwest Branch

About the Library


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)
With our Interlibrary Loan program, you can access materials from other libraries throughout Indiana and the rest of the country. We can have your requested books or magazine articles mailed or faxed here, and you can check them out as you would any title in our own collection. You must hold or be eligible for a valid Delphi Public Library library card in order to take advantage of this service.The following paragraphs describe the Interlibrary Loan policy adopted by our Board of Trustees. Principles 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 where possible, 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 publisehd 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. 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. The Delphi Public Library endorses the principles relating to interlibrary loan included in the Indiana Library Resource Sharing Policy, 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. Interlibrary Borrowing This service is offered to all patrons holding a valid library card from the Delphi Public Library, including resident borrowers, nonresident borrowers, and PLAC card borrowers. The interlibrary loan borrowing privileges of severely delinquent patrons are suspended until any overdue materials have been returned by them AND partial payment of overdue and/or damage charges are made. The interlibrary loan borrowing privileges of patrons who accumulate overdue fines of $5 or more are suspended until sufficient payments are made to reduce the overdue balance to less than $5. 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, the Internet, or other means. (To support the library's monthly book club, 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 at the circulation desk, at the reference desk, via email, or over the telephone. Forms are available for placing a request. A reference staff member will transfer the appropriate information to a standard interlibrary loan form. Requests for photocopies must include indication of compliance with the U.S. Copyright Law. 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 or by mail if the patron does not have a telephone 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: Materials limited by licensing agreements Materials designated as non-circulating (reference) Equipment, including but not limited to, folding chairs, typewriters, VCRs, and projectors 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 fax, email, telephone, or mail. Rush requests are accommodated as time and staffing permit. The library will provide speedy turnaround on most requests, usually responding within two (2) days. The circulation period for items lent on interlibrary loan will be the same as that for regular circulation. 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. Two (2) 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 charge the borrowing library for materials that are overdue, damaged, or lost on interlibrary loan. The library has a special charge of five dollars ($5.00) for rush requests.