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Policies

Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery

Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery (Local and Commercial)

  • Definitions
    • An interlibrary loan is a transaction in which library materials, or copies of the material, are made available by one library to another upon request. Local document delivery is a transaction in which copies of materials owned by the MU Libraries and needed by library patrons are copied for a fee and delivered to their ILL account. Commercial document delivery is when items have to be purchased from a non-library source i.e.: publisher, information brokers, etc.
  • Purpose
    • The purpose of interlibrary loan and document delivery as defined in this policy is to obtain for users, for research and serious study, library material, which is not owned by the MU Libraries or is not available for use. The causes of non-available status include material which has been declared missing, is checked out and not returned when recalled, or has been sent to the bindery. Interlibrary loan is also used to provide materials from the MU Libraries to other libraries. Patrons have the opportunity to request any circulating materials listed in the MERLIN/MOBIUS catalog before requesting through interlibrary loan.
  • Scope
    • The MU Libraries adhere to the guidelines of the American Library Association National Interlibrary Loan Code, 1993. (See Appendix A)
    • This interlibrary loan policy applies to Ellis Library and all branch libraries with the exclusion of the J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library and Veterinary Medical Library.
    • MU faculty, retired faculty, staff, retired staff and students are eligible for interlibrary loans.
  • Policies for Borrowing Materials
    • A loan or a copy of any material may be requested from another library in accordance with the published lending policy of that library. The lending library decides in each case whether a particular item can be provided.
    • Patrons should request books located at other MERLIN/MOBIUS libraries using the request function in the MERLIN/MOBIUS catalogs.
    • MU faculty, staff and students may request items on interlibrary loan through the web by logging in to their ILL@MU account and using the appropriate form.
    • The MU Libraries do not normally process interlibrary loan requests for the following types of materials:
      • Rare or valuable material that would be difficult or impossible to replace.
      • Bulky items that are difficult or expensive to ship.
      • Entire volumes or entire issues of periodicals.
      • Patents or NTIS documents (we purchase patents 1971-present and NTIS on microfiche).
      • Genealogy (except from MERLIN libraries).
      • Non-scholarly, self-help, or popular literature except from MERLIN libraries.
      • Articles which are available locally in electronic full-text.
      • Archival materials in original format.
      • Textbooks used for MU Classes.
      • Items available in the MERLIN/MOBIUS catalogs.
    • The borrower should supply the following information for each interlibrary loan request if at all possible:
      • Author, title, publisher, date and place of publication, and source of reference for books.
      • Title of journal, author and title of article, date and volume, pagination, and source of reference of the article.
      • Author, title, date and issuing university for theses and dissertations and the source of reference for theses and dissertations.
    • MU Libraries will subsidize cost of an interlirary loan up to and including $150.00 per document. Costs above $150 must be paid by patrons or their departments, etc. There is a $600.00 limit per patron per fiscal year. The Head of Interlibrary Borrowing and/or the Head of Access Services will immediately notify the subject liaison when there is a request for an item that we are unable to supply because of cost.
    • All photocopy requests must comply with the MU Libraries' copyright policy. (See the relevant policy). Due to the speed in which we receive articles, RUSH requests are not accepted.
    • All borrowers of interlibrary loan materials are responsible for the prompt return of items to the Ellis Circulation/Reserve Desk or branch library from which it was borrowed. The MU Libraries reserve the right to suspend interlibrary loan privileges to any borrower who repeatedly returns interlibrary loan materials after the due date. MU circulation privileges may be temporarily suspended, by interlibrary loan staff, for interlibrary loans overdue more than two weeks.
    • Renewals of interlibrary loan materials should be requested only in unusual circumstances. Renewals should be requested at least four days prior to the due date. The length of the renewal period is determined by the lending library.
    • Borrowers are responsible for the replacement cost of lost or damaged materials. Replacement charges are determined by the lending library.
    • All material on loan is subject to immediate recall if requested by the lending library and subject to a fine of $10.00 per day for each overdue, recalled book.
    • A borrower may not make repeated requests for the same item through interlibrary loan although we will attempt to assist the borrower in obtaining the information needed either through interlibrary loan or purchase. (Textbooks that are on the University Bookstore textbook list generally are not available for borrowing. Most libraries will not lend textbooks should they own them. The MU Libraries will not purchase textbooks for the use of patrons through interlibrary loan funds.)
    • Distance education students may request books which are located at MU or other MERLIN/MOBIUS libraries through the MERLIN/MOBIUS catalogs. These books will be mailed to them unless they live near another MERLIN/MOBIUS library, in which case they will use the "pick up anywhere" service. Photocopied articles not owned by the MU Libraries obtained and sent to them at no charge. Articles available at the MU Libraries will be copied for a fee and posted to their ILL account upon approval of the student.
  • Policies for Lending Materials
    • The decision to lend material is at the discretion of the MU Libraries. (See Appendix B for photocopy charges).
    • Interlibrary loan requests from other libraries are accepted through OCLC, via mail on ALA forms, or by fax. Requests will not be accepted by telephone.<\li>
    • The duration of loan for interlibrary loan materials is six weeks. Faculty on the other University of Missouri campuses may borrow interlibrary loan for four months, with the exception of documents and microforms that circulate for one month. Items may be recalled.
    • The MU Libraries loan the following materials to other libraries:
      • Books
      • Government Documents - Federal documents will generally only be lent to Missouri residents.
      • Master theses (paper copies only)
      • Doctoral dissertations prior to 1949 (paper copies only
      • Newspapers on microfilm at the discretion of the Special Collections or appropriate branch librarian
      • Microforms at the discretion of the Special Collections or appropriate branch librarian
    • The MU Libraries do not loan the following materials to other libraries:
      • Rare and special collections
      • Periodicals which are marked "non-circulating" or "restricted loan" or designated in the UM LIBRARIES CATALOG as "Library Use Only." Exceptions are occasionally made for MERLIN and GWLA (Great Western Library Alliance) libraries.
      • Books on reserve
      • Reference books
      • Doctoral dissertations written after 1949 (since these are available through University Microfilms) except to MERLIN libraries, GWLA libraries, ARL libraries and to libraries with which we have reciprocal agreements
      • Tapes, phonograph records, compact discs, video tapes, video discs and other non-print formats will be loaned at the discretion of the subject librarian
      • Brittle books will not be lent or photocopied if handling is likely to cause damage.
      • Bulky items that are difficult or expensive to ship.
    • The MU Libraries do not normally grant renewal of interlibrary loan materials and will not recall materials from MU borrowers to send out on interlibrary loan
    • All material on loan is subject to immediate recall.
  • Appendix A: National Interlibrary Loan Code for the U.S. 1993
    • [NOTE:This section is to be replaced by the latest National Interlibrary Loan Code document]
  • Appendix B: Charges for Photocopies and Loans
    • All libraries not included in a reciprocal or consortial agreement are charged a $15.00 fee for returnables and for most non-returnables. There is a 50-page limit for duplication requests. Any request for over 50 pages or for a special service may result in an additional charge. The borrowing library will be notifed of this before processing begins on the request.
    • MERLIN/MOBIUS libraries are not charged for photocopies.
    • Greater Western Alliance Libraries (GWLA), RAPID and reciprocal libraries are not charged for photocopies.

Sponsor: Interlibrary Loan Policy Review Committee
Approved by Library Council: August 18, 1983
Revised by Library Council: January 29, 1987
Revised by Library Council: January 3, 1991
Revised by Library Council: March 26, 1998
Revised by Ellis Interlibrary Loan Staff July 2008
Revised by Ellis Interlibrary Loan Staff October 2009
Revised by Ellis Interlibrary Loan Staff May 2011
Revised and Approved by Library Management Team: February 2, 2012