Interlibrary Loan Policy

Borrowing from libraries outside of MCLINC:

Definition

Interlibrary loan ( ILL ) is the process by which a library requests material from, or supplies material to, another library. ILL services shall not be construed to be a substitute for adequate local collections or utilized in place of a carefully crafted collection development policy that has been devised to satisfy the needs of the population served by the Abington Township Public Library (ATPL).

Purpose

The purpose of ILL is to obtain, upon the expressed need of a library user, materials that are not available from the library or consortium through which the user places the request. ILL services should be used only to obtain materials that are outside the scope of the local collections and/or unavailable through the local (MCLINC) consortium.

Eligibility

ILL is a service that is available to all customers of state-funded libraries throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. ILL is a privilege, not a right. ATPL will provide ILL service to any Montgomery County resident who presents a valid borrower’s card, issued by their “home” library, that has been properly registered in the MCLINC borrower database. ILL service will not be extended to anyone who owes fines or fees or has overdue materials. Any requestor who disregards the basic provisions of this policy may have his or her ILL borrowing privileges suspended at the discretion of the Executive Director.

Scope

Many types of library materials may be requested through ILL; however, the Abington Township Public Library, in compliance with the Pennsylvania Interlibrary Loan Guidelines, 2011, will not request materials from outside MCLINC that fall into the following categories:

  • Best sellers;
  • Titles published within the past six (6) months;
  • Multiple copies of the same title;
  • Titles in recurring demand;
  • Titles owned by the local library or within MCLINC, unless long overdue or declared missing;
  • Multiple copies of individual titles in order to support book clubs, reading groups, etc. 
  • Whole issues and/or volumes of periodicals and journals (requests for photocopies of articles are permitted);
  • More than five (5) articles from five (5) issues of the same periodical or journal title, unless a subscription to the title has been placed or copyright royalties have been paid;
  • Course materials, including textbooks and course reserves; 
  • Licensed computer software data-files.

In addition, requestors should be aware that some categories of material are frequently difficult to obtain; borrowing these may involve prolonged delivery times, and/or advance payment of lending fees.

These categories include, but are not limited to:

  • Sound recordings (spoken and music);
  • Video recordings (VHS and DVD);
  • Reference works; 
  • Dissertations, theses, etc.;
  • Locally-specific materials (e.g., local history materials);
  • Genealogical materials;
  • Rare and archival materials.

Rules and Procedures

Library Requirements

ATPL may limit the number of requests submitted to four (4) per cardholder, per visit;

  • Requestors who need to request large numbers of ILL materials may be asked to place requests incrementally;
  • ILL requests may be submitted by phone or in person;
  • Bibliographic citations should be as complete as possible;
  • All requests for materials not owned by the library will be considered by selector-librarians for possible purchase before ILL requests are placed;
  • ATPL will transmit ILL requests via electronic means whenever feasible;
  • Requestors will be given advance notice of any fees required by lender(s) prior to the request(s) being placed;
  • ATPL will pursue every possible avenue in order to obtain requested materials; exception: ATPL cannot place requests for audiovisual materials from libraries outside the State of Pennsylvania ;
  • Requestors will be notified in the event that requested materials cannot be obtained.

Borrowers’ responsibilities:

  • ILL materials should be picked up within seven (7) days of phone notification;
  • Materials not picked up after seven (7) days will be returned to the lending library;
  • ILL privileges may be suspended for requestors who fail to pick up materials three times within a 12-month period;
  • Materials obtained through ILL must be returned to Abington Township Public Library;
  • Requestors must pay for any photocopying expenses at the time of pickup;
  • Requestors must pay, in advance, any fees charged by lending libraries;
  • ILL materials will be loaned for 2 weeks unless the lending library specifies otherwise;
  • The lending policies of the Abington Township Public Library regarding overdue, damaged, or lost materials also apply to ILL materials. In addition, the policies of the lending library may, in the case of loss or damage, result in additional charges to be borne by the borrower.
  • ILL materials may be renewed at the discretion of the lending library if the renewal request can be transmitted electronically.

Copyright Compliance.

Abington Township Public Library will not accept ILL requests that do not comply with the Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and its accompanying guidelines as issued by the National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works.

Lending to libraries outside of MCLINC

Contact Information:

Abington Township Public Library  
1030 Old York Road  
Abington, PA 19001  
Tel.: 215-885-5180  
abingtonfreelibrary.org

Codes and Symbols:

  • PAFLP (Access PA)
  • ABG (OCLC)

Method of Request

The Abington Township Public Library (ATPL) will accept requests from Access PA (electronic) or via an ALA form. The preferred method to receive an ALA form is by email, or mail to ATPL. The Abington Township Public Library will make every effort to respond to a request within 4 (four) days.

Delivery

IDS or USPS (ATPL will cover the costs of shipping).

Billing

Materials will be checked out to the requesting library through our automated system. The lending policies of ATPL regarding overdue, damaged, or lost materials apply to ILL materials.

ATPL will not lend materials for extended loan in order to support book clubs, reading groups, etc.

Types and categories of materials that will circulate on ILL

ATPL will loan:

  • Books;
  • Music scores;
  • Sound recordings (both musical and non-musical) 
  • DVDs

Types and categories of materials that will not circulate on ILL. ATPL will NOT loan:

  • Materials from the Reference collection, including, but not limited to:
  • Microfilm and microfiche;
  • Periodicals;
  • Electronic resources.

Duration of loan

ATPL will loan material to requesting libraries for 4 (four) weeks.

Renewals

ATPL will make every effort to respond promptly to requests for renewals. The renewal period will consist of an extension of the loan by 2 (two) weeks.

Photoduplication service

Upon request, with specific citations and page numbers, APTL will make photocopies (up to 20 pages) of materials for requesting libraries. The Library will not produce copies from microfilm or micro-fiche.

Abington Township Public Library ILL Policy Development

The Abington Township Public Library has developed this policy in accordance with the principles set forth in the Pennsylvania Interlibrary Loan Guidelines, 2011 and the American Library Association’s Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States (2008).

Rev. 09-07-2012