Interlibrary Loan Policies

Attention DLP Students: See the Distance Learning Document Delivery Policies.

AVAILABLE MATERIALS

What can I order through Interlibrary Loan?

Most Interlibrary Loans consist of books and articles. You can also try to borrow dissertations, videos, and other audio/visual materials but these are much harder to obtain because of limited availability and pending costs.

Are there any exceptions?

• Textbooks (see below)
• You can only Interlibrary Loan materials that Liberty University does not own in hard copy (book or journal) or in online form (EBSCO, Infotrac, LexisNexis etc.) unless our copy is currently checked out, lost or otherwise unavailable.
• You may not order any item that is inconsistent with the standards outlined in the Liberty Way (i.e. Rated ‘R’ Movies, materials with explicit content, etc.) unless you provide course-related justification from a professor.

Can I order my textbooks through Interlibrary Loan?

The library does not borrow required textbooks via InterLibrary Loan. Why?

• InterLibrary Loan services are intended to assist students and faculty with the short term borrowing of supplementary materials that they might need for class related research, but which are not owned by the LU library.
• Purchasing textbooks is part of usual college expenses, along with paying tuition and dorm/rental expenses and buying school supplies, a parking pass, and a meal plan.
• Some textbooks, lab manuals, and course packs are created especially for and used only by LU courses, so they are not available anywhere else.
• Very few libraries interlibrary loan textbooks for their students.
• Even fewer libraries have the newest editions as soon as they are printed and required for use by professors for classes.
• Of those libraries that do purchase textbooks, the textbook collection is usually reserved for their campus-use only and are not loaned to other libraries.
• Loaned books usually take one-two weeks to arrive, so students are already far behind in their class work and reading by the time they arrive.
• Students only get to keep a textbook borrowed through ILL for about three weeks.
• Because of this (above), many of our students have given in to the temptation to keep borrowed materials after their due date in order to have them for classes. This creates a very poor testimony for us in the community of libraries with whom we share materials

As an option to purchasing new textbooks, consider purchasing used textbooks from one of many online used textbook sites like those listed below:

• http://www.liberty.bncollege.com  (LU Bookstore)
• https://www.liberty.edu/onlinestudentcenter (LUbay)
• http://www.half.ebay.com/
• http://www.amazon.com/textbooks
• http://www.cheapbooks.com/
• http://www.ecampus.com/

TIME FRAME

How long will it take to receive my Interlibrary Loans?

• Depending on the type and location of the item, it could take anywhere from three days to three weeks.
• Please understand our office has no control over how quickly the other libraries process our requests or how quickly the postal service delivers the materials.

How long can I keep my Interlibrary Loan items?

The length of the loan depends on the lending library’s policies. It is not determined by our office. Articles are yours to keep and have no due date.

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NOTIFICATIONS

Do I have to use my Liberty email address?

Yes, in order to submit ANY Interlibrary Loan request, you must use your Liberty email address. You will receive all notifications and correspondence from our office at your Liberty email account.

Where do I pick up my Interlibrary Loan items?

• Articles are always a picked up online through your ILLiad account. You will receive an email notification when your article is available. If you have any questions about this process, see our tutorials or contact our office (illoan@liberty.edu or 434-582-2442).
• You may pick up and return your non-article Interlibrary Loan materials at the Circulation Desk in the A. Pierre Guillermin Library (located on the first floor of DeMoss Hall).
• All non-article materials will have a label indicating the due date. This label may not be removed, and a $2 processing fee will be assessed if the item(s) are returned without this label.
• Faculty may choose to either have their loans delivered to their office or held at the Circulation Desk for pick-up. This selection will be made when creating your ILLiad account.

Will I receive a notice if I have overdue Interlibrary Loan items?

• Yes. ILLiad incrementally sends multiple email reminders before and after your items are due.
• ILLiad only sends these to your Liberty email account.
• These notices are a courtesy. You are responsible for returning all materials on time even if the notification is not received.

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RENEWALS

Can I renew my item?

• Once an item is overdue, it may not be renewed.
• If it is not overdue, it depends on the other library's policies. When you request a renewal, we will check the lending library’s policies and process the request.

How do I request a renewal?  ** renewal requests must be submitted prior to due date **

1. You must submit your renewal request by logging into your ILLiad account.
2. To request your renewal, click on "all requests" on the left menu one the page under "view", then click on the transaction number in the first column by your request. The first option that will appear after clicking on the transaction number is "renew request".
3. Please note that this is only a request, as some libraries do not allow renewals at all. If a renewal is granted, we will notify you of the new due date via your Liberty e-mail account.

When do I need to submit a renewal request?

Try to submit your renewal request a few of days before your item is due. This will greatly increase your chances of obtaining a renewal.

What will happen if I do not hear back from the ILL office after I submit a renewal request?

• If after a week, you have not heard from the Interlibrary Loan office concerning your request for a renewal, it is your responsibility to contact the Interlibrary Loan office.
• Failure to do so can result in overdue charges.

How many times can I renew my item?

You may renew items one time. If you need your item for a longer period, you may submit a new request for the item, and we will re-order it for you.

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REQUEST LIMIT

Is there a limit on how many items I can get via Interlibrary Loan?

• All users (excluding faculty and doctoral students) may have 20 outstanding non-article requests at one time.
• Again, this limit does not apply to article requests.

CHARGES

How much does Interlibrary Loan cost?

Interlibrary Loan is usually free. We always order from free lending libraries that own the particular material. If there are no free lending libraries, we will e-mail you regarding any costs before proceeding.

ILLiad Label Removal

Removing an ILLiad label incurs a $2 processing fee. This label contains necessary information (i.e. the due date and transaction number).

Overdue Fines

• $1.00 per day charge will accrue on each overdue item until the item is returned or declared lost.
• If the item is returned overdue, the accompanying overdue fine will be charged to your Liberty account at the time it is returned. These late charges are non-refundable.
• Items are declared lost if they are more than 28 days overdue. Lost charges will equal the item's replacement fee billed to us by the lending library, plus the $28 overdue fine owed to Liberty University’s ILRC. This combined charge, which is applied to the user’s Liberty University account, is non-refundable even if the item is eventually returned.
• Notices will be sent via e-mail before and after the due date, reminding the user to turn their item(s) in. These notices are a courtesy, as the user is responsible for returning all materials on time, whether an overdue notification is received or not.
• Faculty members will not be assessed overdue charges, unless the ILRC is billed by the lending library for a lost item.

Other Fees

A $5 fee is charged if an item you requested comes in and you do not either pick it up or inform the ILL office that you no longer need the item.

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ACCOUNT SUSPENSION

Can I lose my Interlibrary Loan privileges?

• Yes. ILLiad blocks your account once you have an Interlibrary Loan item overdue. You will no longer be able to order anything until you return the item.
• Similarly, a history of returning items late or damaged may result in an indefinite suspension.
• The ILRC reserves the right to block or suspend any user’s ILL privileges.