- What is an Interlibrary Loan?
- What kinds of materials are available through Interlibrary Loan?
- How do I make an Interlibrary Loan request?
- How much does an Interlibrary Loan cost?
- How long does it take to get material on Interlibrary Loan?
- How do I renew an Interlibrary Loan book?
- What about overdues and lost books?
- Contact us about Interlibrary Loan
What is an Interlibrary Loan?
If you need a book, magazine article, microfilm or other information not available at the Prince Rupert Library, we will try to get it for you from another library. Through our interlibrary loan department we can obtain materials from public, college, university and government libraries, as well as a variety of other agencies. We search for items in B.C. libraries first, then across Canada and further afield if necessary.
What kinds of materials are available through Interlibrary Loan?
We can process requests for books, photocopies of magazine articles, reference material and microfilm (newspapers and archives). We can also search a subject for you if you don't have a specific reference. Some items are not available through interlibrary loan. These include audio-visual items, complete issues of magazines, new books and reference books.
How do I make an Interlibrary Loan request?
Request forms are available at the Circulation Desk or by the public access computers. Please fill in one request form for each item you want and include all the information that you have. For books please give author and title and, if you know it, the publisher, date of publication and ISBN. For magazine articles please give a complete citation including title of periodical, volume, date, page numbers and the author and title of the article. If you want us to do a subject search please give us a detailed description of the information you are looking for. Please limit your requests to 3 at a time.
How much does an Interlibrary Loan cost?
The Prince Rupert Library processes interlibrary loans for its patrons free of charge, and most libraries will fill our request at no charge. However, some libraries we borrow from do levy chargest for loans and photoscopies and these costs are passed on to our partrons. We'll call you for authorization before we incur any charges on your behalf.
How long does it take to get material on Interlibrary Loan?
The length of time needed to fill an interlibrary loan depends upon the location of the lending library and the availablility of the item you are looking for. An interlibrary loan can take as little as a week to arrive or as long as 6 months. We'll call you as soon as it arrives. If you want a status report on your interlibrary loan in process, give us a call at 250-627-1345. Due to the high volume of requests we process at the library and the number of steps that can be involved we ask that you please wait 4 weeks before inquiring.
How do I renew an Interlibrary Loan book? If you want to renew your interlibrary loan book please contact us 3 days before the due date. We'll ask the lending library for a newal and call you back with your new due date. Please note, though, that renewals are not always granted by lending libraries.
What about overdues and lost books?
Other libraries lend us items from their collections as a gesture of goodwill and it is incumbent upon us to return them on time and in good condition. Please turn in your interlibrary loan materials by the due date or call us if you need a renewal. Fines for late returns are $0.50/day. If you lose or damage interlibrary loan items, you are responsible for the costs charged by the lending library, plus a processing fee.
Contact us about Interlibrary Loan
The staff at the library would be happy to answer any other questions you have about our interlibrary loan service. Please call us at 250-627-1345.