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How to Use Interlibrary Loan | Tipasa

A guide to using interlibrary loan and Tipasa.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) FAQ

What is Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service through which we will request materials, such as books, periodical articles, and music scores from another library when we do not own that material ourselves.

Who may use ILL?

Interlibrary Loan at Lebanon Valley College is available only to current students, faculty and staff.

What can be requested via ILL?

ILL will help you obtain research materials not available at the Bishop Library. However, some items might be difficult to obtain from other libraries, such as:

  • Reference materials
  • Theses or Dissertations
  • Whole volumes or issues of periodicals
  • Audiovisual materials
  • Rare, fragile or archival materials
  • Multi-volume sets

If the material you have requested is owned by LVC, we will cancel your request and help you access the requested material in our collection.

Can I borrow textbooks for my classes through ILL?

No. Interlibrary loan cannot be used as a substitute for buying textbooks or other course required materials. Loan periods are rarely longer than 4 weeks and renewals are not always granted. Keeping a book longer than the loan period will cause your Tipasa account to be blocked, prohibiting your from requesting additional interlibrary loans. Overdue books also cause strained relations with libraries that we rely upon for providing supplemental research materials.

What about Theses and Dissertations?

You may attempt to request theses and dissertations via ILL. Please understand that it is very difficult to obtain these materials via interlibrary loan. If you need help finding additional resources for your research, please contact a librarian.

How long does it take to get something via ILL?

ILL books and materials can take 5 to 10 business days to arrive.

Journal articles usually arrive within three days.

Delivery time is dependent on the library sending the material, the availability of the requested material and the accuracy of your request.

How are ILL requests submitted?

Click here to learn how to submit requests for ILL materials. 

How will I be notified?

All interlibrary loan material arrival notifications will be sent to your LVC email account or via text message (depending on your preference).

Where do I pick up materials I requested on ILL?

Pick up books at the Bishop Library circulation desk. Journal articles will be made available via your Tipasa account.

How long can I keep material borrowed via ILL?

You may save/download journal articles to your personal device. Tipasa access to these materials is limited to 30 days or up to 5 views. 

Interlibrary loan material due dates are set by the lending library. Renewals may be possible but can only be given by the lending library. In order to renew ILL material, you must log into your Tipasa account and request a renewal. 

Renewals are not guaranteed and are not usually granted once the due date has passed.

Interlibrary Loan is a courtesy provided by the lending library and any conditions of use imposed by that library must be strictly observed. All items are subject to immediate recall by the lending library. Borrowed items kept overdue by patrons create critical problems for Interlibrary Loan service. Lending libraries may cease to lend to our institution until all overdue material is returned.

How do copyright restrictions affect interlibrary loan?

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or other reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Bishop Library will make every effort to comply with federal copyright regulations as stated in Sections 107 and 108 of Title 17, United States Code.

Who can I contact about this policy?

If you have questions or comments about these ILL policies, feel free to contact our Interlibrary Loan department.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Policy

Overdue Policy
Any student with overdue ILL items will be blocked from borrowing additional items. Overdues are reviewed weekly. Blocks will be removed as soon as the overdue items are returned.
Student Policy
Fines will not be charged for overdue ILLs, but patrons will be sent weekly overdue notices. When an ILL item reaches 30 days overdue, students will be billed the actual cost for replacement of the overdue item PLUS any additional processing fees charged by the lending institution. These additional fees can be up to $100 in excess of the cost of the item.
 
The week before an item is 30 days overdue, the student will receive notice that they will be billed for replacement if the item is not returned within 7 days. The LVC business office will be notified of all replacement costs, and these will be charged to the student’s account. *Once a student’s account is billed for ILL replacement costs, they will not be refunded. 
Faculty/Staff Policy
Faculty or staff who have ILL items that are more than 15 days overdue or that have been recalled by the lender for more than 2 weeks will be blocked from borrowing additional items.
 
If Bishop Library is billed for replacement of an unreturned interlibrary loan item, the library reserves the right to bill faculty and staff the cost for replacement of the overdue item PLUS any additional processing fees charged by the lending institution. These additional fees can be up to $100 in excess of the cost of the item. 
 
Items Not Picked Up
When Bishop Library acquires ILL items for students, the library may pay a fee to borrow these items. Bishop Library also pays shipping costs to return Ill items to the lender. ILL is provided as a special service at no charge to LVC students. Due to the potential cost and the time associated with processing ILL items, students are encouraged to only request items they intend to pick up. Bishop Library ILL sends notices when requested items are available to check out, and at least two additional reminders to pick up ILL items.
 
If a student requests more than five items in a given semester without picking them up, that student will be blocked from use of Tipasa for the remainder of the semester. Blocks will be removed at the beginning of the following semester.