Interlibrary Loan Policy

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Interlibrary Loan (commonly referred to as ILL) Policy is to establish the criteria and process through which library patrons may obtain, upon request, material not available at Meridian Library District or the Lynx Library Consortium. An Interlibrary Loan is a transaction between libraries in order to enhance and extend patron access to resources not available in the Lynx Library Consortium. The term "material" includes all formats, i.e., books, audiovisuals, articles, photocopies, etc.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN BORROWING

Current Meridian Library District cards in good standing and without borrowing restrictions, may request Interlibrary Loan items. Requests may be submitted in person, by telephone, online through our website, or by email to ill@mld.org.

Items that cannot be borrowed via Interlibrary Loan include:

• Current year copyright material (Please submit a Purchase Request)
• Items in current high demand
• Items owned by one of the Lynx Library Consortium libraries (unless the status of those copies have been changed to "missing" or "lost" for 4 or more weeks)
• Reference materials
• Magazines and newspapers (although copies of specific articles may be requested which may require a copying fee)
• Microfilm
• Board Games
• Video Games
• Items with excessive charges or fees from the lending library

Please note that some libraries do not loan audiovisual materials and others may charge for lending items. The Meridian Library District patron will be contacted for prior approval of any additional charges before the request is made.

PATRON RESPONSIBILITY

The Interlibrary Loan process can take 1-6 weeks to fulfill depending on the availability of the item and processing procedures. The lending library determines the loan period, and therefore any material may be subject to recall by that library. It is the patron’s responsibility to return items promptly and in the same condition as received. Interlibrary Loan materials may be eligible for renewal; however, it is at the discretion of the lending library. If a renewal is needed, a request should be made at least three (3) days before the original due date. A replacement charge and processing fee will be charged for all lost or damaged items in an amount determined by the lending library. Items are deemed lost two weeks after the assigned due date. For Interlibrary Loan items that are not picked up or canceled after shipment has occurred, a $4.00 processing fee is charged to the patron’s library account.

Patrons are limited to ten (10) interlibrary loan requests at a time.

The availability of Interlibrary Loan services may be subject to staffing availability. During closures, Interlibrary Loan services are subject to change on a temporary basis.

COMPLIANCE WITH COPYRIGHT LAW

When using the Interlibrary Loan services, patrons accept responsibility for complying with United States Copyright Law.

Approved by the Meridian Library Board of Trustees on May 14, 2013

Revised May 17, 2023