Faculty Guide - Northwest: Interlibrary Loan

If a book or periodical (article) is not available through our library, we will try to get the material for you from another library. There is no charge for interlibrary loan for Ivy Tech students, faculty or staff (in most cases--but you will be notified beforehand if a fee is required). The Library reserves the right to limit the number of items patrons may request (and we cannot honor requests for textbooks).

Books

First, check IvyCat to see if the book you want is owned by another Ivy Tech campus library (we can get them faster, and you may even find some ebooks that will meet your need).  If the book is available at an Ivy Tech library we can make a request for the item to be sent. Videorecordings are loaned on a limited basis and may not be able to be sent via ILL. 

If the book you want is not owned by an Ivy Tech library, we can still usually get it, though it may take a little longer (about 2 weeks). Contact the library and we can look to see if the book is available for a request. The more information you have on hand the quicker we can find and request the book.

Articles 

If you need an article that is not available in one of our online subscription periodical databases (ask for help if needed, to determine this), contact the library to see if we can acquire the article for you.

Remember:

1. You can usually only borrow one, or at the most two, items at a time; exceptions are made for articles. 
2. If you are in the library and need help with any part of this process, please ask a library staff person for help.
3. When requests arrive, books are usually checked out for 4 weeks--pick them up promptly, and please have them back in time! (Articles are usually photocopies and do not need to be returned.)

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to request materials from any Lake County library and other libraries around the state and country via interlibrary loan. Instructions and forms are available online (linked under Services). Please ask library staff members for assistance.

Do be aware that every lending library has its own specific policies regarding ILL; most print materials are loaned, but A-V materials (i.e. videocassettes) are usually not available. Additionally, a lending library may charge a fee to loan certain items, but that is a rare occurrence and borrowers always have the option of paying the fee or canceling the loan before it is processed.

An exception to audiovisual interlibrary loan is made within the Lake County libraries itself. Requests for videos and other resources between the three campuses can usually be honored within a matter of days.

Apart from borrowing from within our own region, please bear in mind that items borrowed through interlibrary loan may take anywhere from one to three weeks to obtain, so it's best to plan ahead.  Also, we must reserve the right to limit the number of items that students or faculty may request at one time.

In addition to our normal inter-library loan policies, we are a member of the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI). This allows us to create borrower's cards which allow the holder to check out materials at the other ALI member libraries. If you are interested in utilizing this service, come to the library and talk to the librarian or the library staff about receiving one of these cards. 

Special note should be given to the public institutions: These universities allow any Indiana resident to check out items with a valid state ID or driver's license. Thus you do not need an ALI borrower's card for IU Northwest or Purdue Calumet, for instance.

Borrower's cards do not allow access to online resources. If you want access to online resources, it is best to ask the library staff at the corresponding library to  learn the policy regarding access.