ILL

Interlibrary Loan Request Form

What is it?
Interlibrary loan is a cooperative service offered to registered patrons of the St. Clair County Library that allows you to borrow materials from other library systems. If you are not a registered customer, you may call or visit the Library Headquarters or any of our branches for information on how to register. You may submit interlibrary loan requests at any branch of the St. Clair County Library. You can also submit interlibrary loan requests online via our online interlibrary loan request forms.

Note: Before requesting materials via Interlibrary Loan please check our Online Catalog many requests can fulfilled within the St. Clair County Library System. If you do not find the item that you are looking for in our catalog then please continue with the Interlibrary Loan process.

What can I borrow?
Interlibrary loan facilitates access to book titles that we do not have in our system. You can also request specific articles from magazines or journals if we don't subscribe to that particular periodical. Information on microfilm is also available. It is not possible, however, to borrow audiovisual materials (sound recordings, videocassettes, CD-ROMs, etc.) through interlibrary loan because of the sensitivity and cost of magnetic media.

Where do the materials come from?
We fill the majority of interlibrary loan requests through The Library Network (TLN), a library cooperative encompassing 56 libraries in the Southeastern Michigan counties of Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw, Livingston, and St. Clair who participate in a shared library automation system. If the item is not owned by one of TLN's member libraries, the search continues on to other libraries within the state and sometimes even across the country.

How long does it take to receive the materials?
On average it takes two to four weeks to receive the materials. Naturally the time is dependent on the availability of the item. The transit time whether via courier or mail service is also a factor.

How will I know when the material arrives?
You have your choice of being notified via a postcard, telephone call, or email. Items should be picked up within a week of their arrival at the library.

Is there any cost?
If we're not able to find the item through TLN's member libraries, there may be a borrowing fee and/or postage cost for returning the item to the lending library.

How long can I keep the material(s)?
The loan period is up to the discretion of the lending library. Renewals are also up to the discretion of the lending library.