Policy

The Interlibrary Loan policy ensures that the Metropolitan Library System provides eligible customers with access to a wider range of materials by sharing resources with cooperating libraries throughout the nation.

Regulations

1. Metropolitan Library System policies and procedures for Interlibrary Loan comply with all provisions of the Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States as established by the American Library Association, all reciprocal agreements to which the library system is a signatory and protocols and regulations of all bibliographic utilities used.
2. The Metropolitan Library System acts as agent for eligible local borrowers.
    
   
   1. Eligible local borrowers in good standing may request materials not available in Metropolitan Library System collections through the interlibrary loan service. Requests to borrow materials housed in the Library’s non-circulating collections may be considered on a case by case basis. Interlibrary Loan staff will determine whether to attempt to borrow such materials.
   2. Eligible local borrowers are customers with either a primary account or an annual fee account from the Metropolitan Library System.  Customers holding other types of accounts are not eligible.
   3. The Metropolitan Library System reserves the right to limit the number of interlibrary loan requests per eligible customer per calendar week as needed due to the volume of requests.
   4. Materials are borrowed only from libraries within the United States.
   5. Metropolitan Library System requests to borrow materials are filled at the discretion of individual owning libraries. The System cannot guarantee that a request for any given item will be filled.
   6. Costs to borrow or receive photocopied materials through Interlibrary Loan will be charged to the borrower.  Failure to pay these costs will result in the borrower’s not receiving the material.
   7. The loan period for materials borrowed through Interlibrary Loan is the same as that for owned materials.  If material is recalled by the lending library before the initial due date, the borrower may be requested to return the material prior to the due date.
   8. The borrower who does not return interlibrary loan material by the due date will be charged an overdue fine of $0.50 per day up to a maximum of $30.00
   9. Any borrower who fails to return or returns damaged material borrowed through interlibrary loan is charged the replacement price of the unreturned material plus any processing fees as determined by the lending library, or a standard replacement fee as determined by Interlibrary Loan.
   10. Any borrower who fails to return interlibrary loan material or returns such material damaged will be subject to loss of interlibrary loan privileges, and all library borrowing privileges may be suspended. Borrowing privileges may be regained by returning the material and paying any fees, or by paying for the material as specified above.
3. The Metropolitan Library System acts as lender to cooperating libraries.
    
   
   1. Materials that are not available for check out by Metropolitan Library System customers, including materials in non-circulating collections, are not available for lending through interlibrary loan.
   2. Materials are lent only to libraries within the United States.
   3. The Metropolitan Library System reserves the right to restrict lending of any materials as needed to maintain quality service for local customers.
   4. Loan period and renewal period are determined by Interlibrary Loan.
   5. Photocopies may be supplied from materials that are not available for lending.
   6. The Metropolitan Library System will provide free photocopies to fill a single request of 50 pages or less; or as allowed by Interlibrary Loan.
   7. Borrowing libraries that damage or do not return materials to the Metropolitan Library System will be charged the replacement price of the unreturned materials plus a$10.00 processing fee.