REGIONAL INTERLIBRARY LOAN PROCEDURES FOR THE MID-HUDSON / RAMAPO-CATSKILL / SOUTHEASTERN REGION

Recommended by the Regional Interlibrary Loan Committee, June 6, 2002.
Changes recommended by RIC November 30, 2006.

These Procedures are an agreement to facilitate intersystem interlibrary loan processes. Each regional system may have procedures particular to that system, which should be available in a local procedural manual. The regional systems include the public libraries in two public library systems, school libraries in five school library systems and academic/special libraries in SENYLRC. These regional systems are the following:

• Dutchess BOCES School Library System
• Mid-Hudson Library System
• Orange-Ulster BOCES School Library System
• Ramapo Catskill Library System
• Rockland BOCES School Library System
• Southeastern New York Library Resources Council
• Sullivan BOCES School Library System
• Ulster BOCES School Library System

For the purpose and scope of interlibrary loan in this region, see the Regional Interlibrary Loan Code Parts I and II.

The procedures below recognize several formats for request communication. Electronic systems, (such as VDX, OCLC, & Docline) are the preferred methods for placing requests based on staffing and Internet access.

A. This applies to all requests, unless format of request is specified.

B. Paper and fax interlibrary loan requests will be made on standard ALA forms, see Appendix A. ILL forms must be filled out completely and legibly, including copyright compliance for article requests. Information should be typed or printed in ink, one request per form. For example, a multi-part article that appears in several issues of a journal requires separate requests for each part. Include your instructions as special notes particularly regarding a.) method of delivery b.) issues of copy quality i.e. color and/or resolution. Completed forms should be sent to "Attn: Interlibrary Loan" at the potential lending library.

C. For an urgent request, contact the lending library directly and follow up with appropriate request form. Urgent should be used with discretion and reserved for situations when an item is needed within 24 hours.

D. Verify the requested item in local catalogs, library system catalogs, regional virtual union catalog and other available standard library verification tools. For items not found, verification should include as complete information as possible about where the item was cited. However, lending libraries are not obligated to process unverified requests.

E. When requests cannot be located or verified at the borrowing library, all sources checked must be listed on the form, and the request forwarded to the ILL office of the System to which the borrowing library belongs.

F. Locations should be verified in the appropriate electronic sources, such as, the regional virtual union catalog, Docline, or OCLC. If the library does not have Internet access, requests should be forwarded to the appropriate system ILL office for processing.

G. A request must be routed to all locations within one's own system before sending a request to another system as specified in the Regional Interlibrary Loan Code.

H. Every effort should be made to distribute requests fairly, and to avoid concentrating interlibrary loan lending on a few libraries as per the Regional Interlibrary Loan Code.

I. For routing electronic requests, follow procedures outlined in the appropriate manual. For paper requests, further referral or routing will be the responsibility of the requesting library.

J. In cases where the lending library indicates an item has been shipped, the borrowing library should notify the lender if the item does not arrive within a reasonable period of time.

K. The duration of loan, unless otherwise specified by the lending library, is a period of five weeks from the date sent by the library, including all time spent in transit between the libraries.

L. The borrowing library shall set a patron due date that allows for return shipment to the lending library by their specified due date.

M. Renewals must be requested in a timely manner, so that if the renewal is denied the item may be returned on time. Renewals are granted at the discretion of the lending institution.

N. The requesting library should respond promptly to recall notices from the lender and make every effort to return the material as soon as possible by the fastest means available.

O. In compliance with the CONTU guidelines http://www.cni.org/docs/info.policies/CONTU.html to the copyright law (Title 17, U. S. Code, section 108), records of photocopy transactions must be kept for three years plus current year. It is recommended that requests for returnable items be kept for statistical purposes and to solve problems. There are no requirements to keep copies of returnable requests for any specific length of time.

P. Upon receipt of material, the borrowing library shall verify the citation for the item borrowed, the lending library, the patron identification, the date of receipt, the due date and note any material received in poor condition. The borrowing library shall honor any special arrangements or circumstances: e.g. in library use only, no photocopying, renewal limitations, processing restrictions and shipping requirements.

Q. The borrowing library shall label the item to inform the patron that he/she must return items to the borrowing library.

R. Materials being returned must include a copy of the request or appropriate identifying number, be addressed completely and legibly and packaged so as to ensure its return in good condition. If your shipper bears no responsibility for replacement cost if the item is lost or damaged, you may want to insure it.

S. The requesting library assumes a small but inherent risk when material is supplied through interlibrary loan. Although the percentage is very small, some material is lost or damaged at some point along the route from the supplier and back again. The requesting library's responsibility for this loss is based on the concept that if the request had not been made, the material would not have left the supplier's shelf, and thus would not have been put at risk. The Southeastern Regional Interlibrary Loan Code clearly states that the requesting library is responsible for the material from the time it leaves the supplying library until its safe return to the supplying library.

Although the code stipulates that the requesting library is required to pay if billed for a lost or damaged item, the supplying library is not necessarily required to charge for a lost item. In the case of lost material, the requesting and supplying libraries may need to work together to resolve the matter. The library shipping the material may need to initiate a trace with the delivery firm who may pay for actual costs of the replacement. However, processing fees may still be the responsibility of the requesting library.

T. Bills for lost or damaged materials and other correspondence regarding the transaction should be acknowledged within four working days from date of receipt. Payment is due within ninety days of receipt of a bill.

U. Statistics on interlibrary loan borrowing shall be kept according to the requirements of the regulating bodies of the library.

A. It is expected that requests will be answered and/or processed promptly, within four business days from date of receipt. If the supplying library is unable to meet the above time requirement it must a.) suspend activity within electronic systems and b.) notify other regional libraries through appropriate channels.

B. The supplying library shall be aware of licensing agreements and how they apply to interlibrary loan.

C. For copy requests, where possible, the supplying library should comply with requesting library's instructions regarding a.) mode of delivery, i.e. fax, paper copy or electronic transmission and b.) issues of copy quality, i.e. color and/or resolution.

D. Loans should be packaged to ensure their safety, and they should be addressed completely and legibly. The supplying library should enclose a copy of the request (printout or completed ALA form) or label material with date due and ILL transaction number. Check to be sure material ownership is properly identified, i.e., permanently stamped with the name of the owning institution.

E. The supplying library should track the following data: date of loan, the date due, the method of delivery, and the date of transaction completion.

F. Any photocopy of a document produced to fill a request should be discarded after the transaction is completed. In other words, an incidental copy made to facilitate transmission is a fair use, as long as that copy is not retained. http://www.aallnet.org/about/policy_fair.asp

G. The supplying library should respond promptly to requests for renewal from the borrowing library. Renewals are at the discretion of the supplying library.

H. The supplying library may recall material at its discretion at any time. It is important for the supplying library to contact the borrowing library directly.

I. Overdue notices should be generated promptly. Bills for lost or damaged material should be issued within ninety days of date due.

J. The supplying library shall respond "not supplied" if unable to fill the request and indicate the reason. Use Appendix #B to select the appropriate Reason for No (ISO ILL 10161 Codes and Definitions).

K. Statistics on interlibrary loan supplying shall be kept according to the requirements of the regulating bodies of the library.

These procedures will be reviewed annually by the Regional InterlibraryLoan Committee (RIC).