Interlibrary
Loan Service — Going Beyond SDCCD Libraries
Through our
out-of-district interlibrary loan service,
we
may be able to obtain—on your behalf—books and articles from libraries
outside of
the San Diego Community College District. To learn more about
this
service, click on a topic of interest below.
Frequently
Asked Questions
What is
interlibrary loan (ILL)?
The term
"interlibrary loan" (commonly abbreviated as ILL) refers to a
system that allows participating libraries—throughout the state and
across the country—to share resources with one another.
Here is a quick overview of how the system works:
When you submit an ILL request for a book or an article, our ILL
staff will: (1) identify other libraries that may be willing to send us
the item, and then (2) submit to these potential lenders—via a
computerized ILL request routing system—a request to obtain the item
on your behalf. A lending library—if it agrees to fill the
request—will then send the item to us.
When
should I consider using the out-of-district ILL service?
The out-of-district
ILL service is not always appropriate for everyone's
needs or circumstances. For example: If you need an item
RIGHT NOW, then the
ILL service is not a good choice for you. If it is no problem for
you to wait several weeks, then the ILL
service may indeed be an option worth considering.
The best time to consider using the out-of-district ILL service is when
all or most of the following circumstances apply:
- The material you need is not owned by an SDCCD
library.
- The material you need is not available in a local
public library collection.
- The material you need is not available at a local
university library (where you, as a campus visitor, could use the
material on site).
- You have planned far in advance and it is no problem
for you to wait several weeks to obtain the ILL material.
- You understand that, in addition to the wait time,
there may also be costs involved if a supplying library charges for its
ILL services.
- You understand that, despite our best efforts, we may
not always be able to find a library that is willing or able to send us
the requested material.
A note to faculty: Did you know that SDCCD
faculty are eligible
for courtesy library cards at the UCSD and SDSU libraries? With
your courtesy card borrowing privileges, you can visit SDSU and/or
UCSD, browse their library collections, and check out circulating
materials in person.
What
materials may I request?
If you are a
registered student, or a current faculty or staff member, you may
submit an
out-of-district ILL request for:
- A book that is not listed in the SandyPac online library catalog
(which includes the holdings of the Mesa, Miramar, and City College
libraries).
- A copy of an article from a magazine, journal, or
newspaper issue that is not available in full-text in the Mesa
College Library. You may request one article per issue and
all article copy requests must be in accordance with copyright law.
The Mesa College Library is unable to
process out-of-district ILL requests for:
- Books that are owned by an SDCCD library
- Materials that are placed on course reserve at an
SDCCD library
- Materials that are available in local public library
collections
- Textbooks for classes
- Whole issues or volumes of periodicals
- Reference books and other non-circulating materials
- Audiovisual materials
- Computer software
- Rare, valuable, or special collections materials
- Excessive numbers of materials for one person at any
one time
How soon
will my material arrive?
Obtaining ILL
materials can take from a few days to a month or more.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to predict precisely how long it
will take for your material to arrive. This is because there can
be a number of variables involved over which we have little or no
control—variables such as: item availability, lender willingness
to supply an item, lender response time, USPS shipping time, etc.
A good rule of thumb is to allow at least several weeks. Some
requests may be filled in less time. However, other requests can
actually take more
than several weeks to fill (for instance, if willing suppliers—who
accept our maximum cost specifications—are scarce).
We cannot make any guarantees on wait times; we will, however, always
do our best to obtain requested materials for you as quickly as
possible.
Each individual who submits a request should indicate on the ILL
request form the date after which he or she can no longer use the
item. If it is not possible to obtain requested materials by the
"need by" date, we will notify the requester that the ILL request
cannot be filled.
How much
will the service cost me?
There is usually no
charge
for interlibrary loan service, unless the supplying library
charges. Please indicate on the ILL request form how much you are
willing to pay, if we are unable to obtain the requested ILL material
from a free supplier.
Also, be aware that when you sign and submit an ILL request form, you
are agreeing to pay "the replacement cost for lost or damaged
materials," "all accumulated fines for overdue materials," and "return
overnight delivery charges on overdue materials."
How
will I know when my material has arrived?
Our ILL staff will
notify you—by telephone call—when your requested material is ready
for pickup at the library's first-floor checkout desk (near the
entrance to the LRC building).
How
long may I keep my interlibrary loan materials?
Article copies become
the property of the requester—i.e., they are yours to keep.
Books must be returned to the library's first-floor checkout desk on or
before the specified due date.
Loan periods for ILL materials are set by the lending libraries.
The lending library may also impose other use restrictions, such as
"library use only" or no renewals. Many lenders do not offer
renewals on ILL materials. Please do not wait until the last
possible day to inquire about a renewal. Our ILL staff must have
time to contact the lending library and obtain
permission for a renewal.
How
do I submit an interlibrary loan request?
Simply fill out an
ILL request form, and then submit the form to a librarian at the
library's first-floor reference desk. You can pick up a copy of
the form at the reference desk, or you may print out a
copy by clicking on the link that follows: printable
ILL request
form (PDF document).
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