Interlibrary Loan Policy

Interlibrary Loan Policy

Interlibrary loan is the process by which a library requests material from or supplies material to another library. Through interlibrary loan, patrons can access materials from other libraries in Illinois. The requested materials will be sent to the Justice Public Library where the patron may check the item out (or use it in the library, as stipulated by the loaning library).  Justice Public Library does not support requests for out-of-state or international material.

The Justice Public Library affirms that interlibrary loan is an adjunct to, not a substitute for, the Library’s collection. The Library will exhaust local resources first, including its own collection and those of libraries in the SWAN online catalog, before requesting items from libraries outside the system. The Justice Public Library District endorses the Illinois State Library’s ILLINET Interlibrary Loan Code.

Interlibrary Borrowing

Who can request material? 
This service is offered to all patrons holding a valid library card from the Justice Public Library District. Any fines or fees on the patron’s record must be cleared before any interlibrary loan requests will be placed.  A valid Justice Public Library District card means the card cannot be expired and all patron record information must be current, including a valid Justice address (or Willow Springs address, if a card has been purchased) and a working phone number.

How to submit a request
Contact the Circulation Department to initiate a request. Patrons may contact the Circulation Department in person, by phone (708-496-1790), by fax (708-496-1898), or by e-mail (jplonline@yahoo.com). The Circulation staff will need as much information as possible about the item to be requested, along with the patron’s name, phone number, and library card number. Patrons may also place their own requests within SWAN by logging in to SWAN (http://catalog.swanlibraries.net/) using their library card number and PIN.

What can be borrowed
All formats may be requested (e.g.; books, audio/visual materials, periodicals, government documents, photocopies, etc.). Please note that some requests may be refused by the loaning library, based on their interlibrary loan policy. Material also may be restricted to in-library use only by the loaning library. The Library will fill requests from our own collection first. If the material is not owned, we will request the material from within the SWAN. If not it is not available within SWAN, then we will request the material from other Illinois libraries.

Fees
The Justice Public Library District does not charge a fee for borrowing material from other libraries in Illinois. Loaning libraries may charge a fee for some types of material, usually photocopies.  We will notify the requesting patron of any fees before placing the request.  Fees for overdue, lost or damaged material will be determined by the loaning library and it is the patron’s responsibility to pay these fees.

Turnaround time
Service will be provided as quickly as possible. The turnaround varies depending upon the loaning library and the status of the materials requested (e.g. on-order, checked-out, etc.). Assuming the item is currently available, items requested within SWAN usually arrive within one week, though it may take longer.  Items requested from outside SWAN generally take two to three weeks to arrive. Patrons will be notified by phone if the Library is unable to obtain an item.

Notification
When material arrives, the Library staff will call the requesting patron. After the patron has been contacted, the patron will have seven days to pick up the material. If the item is not picked up within seven days, it will be sent back to the loaning library. Patrons who do not pick up out of system interlibrary loan material will be assessed a $3.00 fine.

Loan period
The loan period and renewal options are determined by the loaning library. Photocopies may be kept by the requestor. The Library will strictly observe any conditions for use of loaned materials that are imposed by the loaning library (e.g.; short loan period, in-library use only, no renewals). The interlibrary loan of an item will be limited to one request per patron for the same title every three months with as many renewal requests as the loaning library allows.

Patron responsibility
The patron is responsible for picking up the requested item from Justice Public Library. A failure to do so will result in a $3.00 borrowing fee being charged to their record for items obtained outside of SWAN. It is also the responsibility of the patron to return the item in a timely fashion and in the same condition in which it was loaned, including all packaging materials. All interlibrary loan material must be returned directly to Justice Public Library by the borrowing patron. Drop-offs at other libraries for interlibrary loan material are not allowed and will result in fines and possibly late fees and/or suspension of interlibrary loan privileges for that patron. If an item is lost or damaged, the patron is responsible for all overdue fines, the cost of the item, and any processing fees charged by the loaning library. When materials are lost or are returned late, the borrowing privileges of both the patron and the Justice Public Library District are jeopardized. Patrons who consistently abuse interlibrary loan borrowing privileges will find their interlibrary loan borrowing privileges suspended.

Renewals
Items obtained from within SWAN may be renewed by the patron (online, in person or by telephone), according to the loan policies of the owning library.  Overdue material or material with holds for other patrons will not be renewed under any circumstances. To renew an item obtained from outside SWAN, please contact the Library at least three weekdays prior to the due date. The Library staff will attempt to renew the item and notify the patron if the item may or may not be renewed. Renewals are at the sole discretion of the loaning library and cannot be guaranteed.

Interlibrary Lending

Who can request material?
The Justice Public Library will loan materials to all libraries within the State of Illinois. All loaned material will be shipped via ILDS only. Photocopies may be sent via fax or ILDS.

How to submit a request
Requests for Justice Public Library material may be made via OCLC, ALA fax request, or by placing a hold directly through the SWAN online catalog. Justice Public Library does not loan material outside of the state of Illinois.

What can be borrowed?

All new adult fiction and non-fiction books will be kept in the Justice Public Library for six months. After six months, this material will be interlibrary loaned for three weeks to the requesting library (two weeks to patrons) and will be renewable one time for an additional two weeks to patrons.

All new children’s fiction and non-fiction books will be kept in the Justice Public Library for four months. After four months this material will be interlibrary loaned for three weeks to the requesting library (two weeks to patrons) and will be renewable for an additional two weeks to patrons.

Reference material may be interlibrary loaned at the director’s discretion. If loaned, this material will be interlibrary loaned for three weeks to the requesting library (two weeks to patrons), will not be renewable, and may be restricted to in-library use.

We do not loan DVD’s of any type through SWAN.

DVD loan requests placed through OCLC or ALA may be loaned at the director’s discretion. If loaned, this material will be interlibrary loaned for three weeks to the requesting library (two weeks to patrons) and will not be renewable.  (DVD’s will never be loaned if they are less than four months old.)

All new books on CD will be kept in the Justice Public Library for four months. After four months this material will be interlibrary loaned for three weeks to the requesting library (two weeks to patrons) and will be renewable for an additional two weeks to patrons.

Periodicals are not available for interlibrary loan.

Photocopy requests that comply with current Copyright Law (17 U.S.C), will be filled and copies sent via fax or ILDS. (See “Fees” section for charges.

Fees
We do not charge any fees for material loaned to ILLINET libraries.

Photocopies will be supplied at no cost for ten or fewer pages. Requests for more than ten pages will be charged 10¢ per page over the ten page limit.  All requests must comply with current Copyright Law (17 U.S.C).  (Copies will be black & white only.)

We will charge the price of the material plus a $5.00 processing fee for any lost or damaged material.

Turnaround time
Requests will be filled as quickly as possible. Loans will usually ship within one to two days of the receipt of the request. Occasionally, a loan may take longer, depending on the circumstances involved (repair needed, material checked out, but due back shortly, etc.). In this case, we will notify the requesting library within three days with a conditional response, so that they may choose whether to wait or cancel the request.

Loan period
The loan periods are stipulated for each material type in the “What can be borrowed?” section above.

Requesting library responsibility
The requesting library is responsible for borrowed materials from the time they leave Justice Public Library until they have been received back at Justice Public Library.  If damage or loss occurs, the requesting library is responsible for compensation equaling the price of the material plus a $5.00 processing fee. Replacement may be allowed at the discretion of Justice Public Library’s director, but a $5.00 processing fee will still be assessed.

Renewals
Renewal information is stipulated for each material type in the “What can be borrowed?” section above.