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Interlibrary
Loan (ILL) 
This service borrows books and obtains copies of
journal articles not
owned by the WSC Library. We get much of our requested material from area libraries, but
ILL is not restricted to just local service. We can request material from almost any library
in the U.S.
The Interlibrary Loan Department is part of Access
Services and is located at the Circulation Desk, in the second floor lobby
of the Learning Resource Center (LRC). Paper request forms can be found at the
Circulation Desk, or you can submit requests using our new online forms. When
material is received, it can be picked up at the Circulation Desk at any time during normal library
hours.
Who can Borrow:
With the exception of staff salaries, all the costs for the Interlibrary Loan Service
(forms, mailing, computer time) are subsidized by the semester fees that are paid
when registering for a course. Any student may use this service: undergraduate,
graduate or continuing education. However, students must be registered for
courses in the semester during which the forms are submitted. The service is
also open to any faculty
member (full-time or adjunct), staff or administrator.
This service is not available to
anyone not currently affiliated with WSC, or other types of borrowers such
as Alumni, WILL or ARC card holders.
Types of
Materials:
We try to accommodate requests for most types of material. However, due to the lending
policies of many libraries, and the guidelines set forth by the National Interlibrary Loan
Code, there are some items that should not be requested for loans through ILL:
- Items not needed for research (leisure reading)
-
Books on reserve in the WSC Library
-
Books (from other libraries) to be placed on reserve at WSC
-
Textbooks required for WSC courses
- Entire issue of a journal – ask for copies of individual articles instead
- Articles from our full text online
databases
-
Videos, DVDs, audio compact discs (CDs) or cassette tapes. Many libraries do
not lend audio or visual materials, so availability is limited. Ask the
Interlibrary Loan Assistant to research availability for your specific
request.
-
Books printed this year
-
Oversize, fragile, rare, multi-volume, or reference
-
Dissertations (limited availability)
- ERIC documents (those with ED numbers)
There is a 2 page
overview (PDF) for information on searching ERIC and obtaining ED
documents
Costs:
We can almost always get books
at no cost as a result of our membership in several library networks. However,
some research libraries do charge for loans of books not readily available at
other libraries. 99% of our requested books are obtained at no cost.
If journals
that you need are owned by libraries in the Worcester area, photocopies from these issues will be made at no charge.
However, if we have to send beyond the local area, there is a good chance that there will
be a charge for copies. The cost varies from library to library and can be
anywhere from 25¢ per page, to a minimum of $5, or up to $25 (even for a
single page!) We make every attempt to get your journal articles at no cost,
but requesting "free only" does limit obtaining photocopy requests for
any hard-to-find journal titles.
Again, each request can be different.
Check with the ILL Assistant for specific answers to your questions.
Please note that there are no guarantees of timely delivery; you are responsible
for any charges, even if your material arrives after your deadline.
Length of Loans:
- Article copies are yours to keep and do not
need to be returned.
- Length of loans for books are set by the
lending library and apply to all borrowers, including faculty.
- Renewals may only be requested once,
and it is at the discretion of the lending library whether or not an extension
is granted.
Fines
Our reputation as a borrower depends upon your
prompt return of items obtained on your behalf. To ensure our continued ability
to borrow from other libraries, we charge a fine of 10¢ per day per book
for each day that the book is overdue.
Number of
Requests:
You will need your
Library barcode number (printed on the front, lower right of your WSC One Card ID)
each time that you submit an ILL request. All requests must be made on the forms available at the Circulation
Desk, or on the appropriate online form. We cannot
accept requests over the phone, e-mail or fax.
Please note that
for undergraduates there is a
limit of no more than five (5) requests that can be outstanding at any one time.
This means that material must be received in the Library before you can submit
more requests.
Processing/ Waiting
Time:
Due to recent changes in the copyright law, and the
complex nature of searching for journal articles, this request form is more complicated
than the one for books. Therefore, this means that it also takes longer to
research and locate these titles in libraries. Receiving books through the mail
depends on the delivery service used by the lending library. Over 90% of our
requests are filled, and most of that material is received within 10 days to 2 weeks.
If your material is available in the Worcester area, we can usually get it for you
within 3-4 days. But, if we have to send outside the area, it can often take 3-4
weeks to receive material. We make every effort to obtain wanted items from libraries
we know provide the fastest service, but please allow enough time to receive your items
before your due date. Each request is different - please check with the ILL
Assistant.
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