What is Interlibrary Loan?        

• Interlibrary Loan is a cooperative system among libraries to share materials.  ILL systems work nationally and internationally.
• Colby Interlibrary Loan (ILL) borrows material and obtains articles not available at Colby or via Maine State and regional partner libraries in MaineCat and NExpress needed by Colby students, faculty and staff in their teaching and research.
• ILL service is available to current Colby Students, Faculty, Staff, and Emeriti.
• Users of ILL are expected to have checked the Colby Catalog to make sure the material is not held at Colby. 
• • Colby items that have been checked out may be requested directly from NExpress and MaineCat, or recalled.
    
    
• Materials available from NExpress and MaineCat are requested directly by the user using the request function.  Use My Library Account to check on the status of those requests, request renewals, etc.
• ILL returns requests for material that are found to be available at Colby or in NExpress or MaineCat.

What kind of materials can I request on ILL?

• Request materials that relate to your research and are not available at Colby or through NExpress or MaineCat.

Usually loaned                                                      

• Books, conference proceedings, microfilm are usually fairly easy to obtain on loan.
• Journal articles are usually easy to obtain and become your property.
• Government documents are usually able to be borrowed; however, please check with a librarian to determine that material is not here at Colby- not all documents are listed in the Colby catalog.

Sometimes loaned

• Videos, audio books, music recordings, theses and dissertations.

Seldom loaned

• Entire volumes/issues of Journals, print newspapers, manuscripts.
• Textbooks are seldom loaned and we discourage depending on ILL to supply this material.
• Pre-20th Century books, special collections materials, fragile materials are usually not loaned.
• Very new books are sometimes difficult to borrow- please consider requesting the library purchase that material.

How do I make an Interlibrary Loan Request?

• The automated system Colby uses to process ILL requests is called ILLiad@Colby.   First time users of ILLiad@Colby will be directed to register their information from the ILL form.  Frequently, the term ILLiad is used interchangeably with Interlibrary Loan.
• Users fill out an ILL form for each item being requested with as much bibliographic information as possible.  A reference librarian will be happy to help you if you have incomplete information.
• It is not necessary to establish where an item is held, outside of NExpress and MaineCat; ILL locates this information.
• If using a public workstation, remember to exit the Web browser so that your personal information will remain secure.
  

What does it cost?

• The majority of materials are provided at no cost to Colby users.  When other libraries charge us for supplying material, the Colby Libraries subsidize those requests to $20.00.  Users are notified in advance if charges are expected above that amount.

How long does it take?

• ILL processes requests in the order in which they are received; most materials are processed within 24 hours of being requested within the work week, M-F. 
• Sometimes, materials difficult to locate take longer, as do materials that have to be sent to multiple libraries before finding a library willing to supply the item.  ILL works to obtain a loan (or photocopy) up until the date you have indicated the material is no longer needed.
• Your ILLiad@Colby account always allows you to check on the status of your requests.   The ILL staff is also happy to help.

How do I know when my material is in?

• Email notification is sent when materials borrowed for you arrive; you are expected to pick the material up promptly from the Circulation Desk.
• Photocopies of articles are usually sent directly to your address; whenever possible, these are sent electronically.
• Your ILLiad@Colby account always allows you to check on the status of your requests.   The ILL staff is also happy to help.

What are my responsibilities?

• Material borrowed for you should be used within the time it is loaned and treated carefully.  Report any accidents to ILL staff immediately.  
• Charges incurred by Colby Libraries due to loss or damage of borrowed material while in your possession are passed along to you.

Can I renew materials?

• Your ILLiad@Colby account allows you to request an extension of the loan period.  You will be notified if the renewal is not granted by the loaning library, and are expected to return the item   immediately.

Can I walk into another library and borrow materials directly on ILL?

• No, although Colby has ‘walk-in’ borrowing privileges at NExpress libraries (Bates, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Northeastern, Wellesley, Williams) and MaineCat libraries in the Waterville area (Waterville Public, KVCC, Maine General, Thomas, Unity) and the University of Southern Maine. Check with Colby Circulation or Reference before traveling to another library with the expectation to be able to borrow material.