Interlibrary Loan
| ILL Request Form |
What is Interlibrary Loan?Inter-library loan (ILL), is a service the library provides for requesting materials not found in the MLC Catalog or MnLink libraries. Requested materials come from national and international libraries. This service is available free for current MLC students, faculty and staff. Because some libraries charge a fee for interlibrary loan, local residents are asked to use their public libraries for this service. |
Can I make an Interlibrary Loan?This service is provided for current MLC students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. If you have a current MLC ID card, you are eligible to use this service. |
How long does it take?It will depend on the availability of the item (If it's a hot item with lots of requests, such as best sellers), and the location of the lending library. The requested material can take from a few days to weeks. |
How long can items be kept?The lending library determines the due date. Usually materials are given 3-5 weeks as a lending period. |
What kind of items can be requested?Typically books and articles are requested, but DVD's, CD's, VHS, microfilm. Items a library will loan out. |
Which items cannot be requested?Whichever item a library decides not to lend. |
Where do my requests go once it's been placed?Requests placed through the online ILL form are sent to the librarian in charge of interlibrary loans. |
Where do I get in-person help with ILL requests?The ILL Librarian will help you with special requests, or answer questions about ILL matters. |
Can ILL materials be renewed?Renewals for ILL materials is determined by the lending library. If you need to hold onto your material longer than the initial lending period, a request is made to the lending library for extending the loan. Please contact the ILL Librarian at least one day before your item's expiration date to process this request. |
Is there a cost to requesting materials through ILL?Generally, no. There are libraries that do charge a fee, but rarely. |
When done using the ILL items, where should they be returned?Return the ILL materials to Circulation like other loaned materials from the library. Please remember to keep any paperwork that came with your materials and include them when returning your item. |
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