Interlibrary Loan: What People Think I Do vs. What I Actually Do

Have you seen that meme/graphic widely shared on the internet which depicts what other people think of your profession as opposed to what you do all day long? This year we will be featuring content on our blog using that format to describe what the RWU Law Librarians do all day long. Today we are talking about one of the Law Library’s services: Interlibrary Loan (ILL). It may seem simple – request an item, get the item 3-10 days later. But this complex service requires attention to detail, following local and international procedures, and recordkeeping by all parties to keep everyone informed throughout the process.

The Interlibrary Loan service by the RWU Law Library allows our law school patrons--faculty, students, or staff--to borrow materials from libraries outside Roger Williams University. Our patrons may directly borrow materials found at the University Library and the Architecture Library. If they are unable to locate material they need at the RWU Law Library or the University Libraries, they may request to obtain it through ILL.

All School of Law faculty, students, and staff are asked to make ILL requests through the RWU Law Library. To submit an ILL request to the RWU Law Library patrons must complete the Law Library’s interlibrary loan form. 

Once a request has been made, Law Library staff receives an email alert. We review the form submission and will contact the person who submitted the request if we have any questions about the request. We then proceed to the OCLC WorldShare Management System to begin the search for the item needed. OCLC WorldShare is an ILL network that offers libraries access to materials from thousands of libraries across the country and around the world.

Borrowing Materials

We search OCLC WorldShare for the item requested and select the record for the entry that most closely matches the item requested. We verify the information and look at the holdings. The holdings list shows all the libraries that own the item requested and includes information about the possible cost to borrow from the library, turn-around time of requests, and location of the library. 

We then select several of the libraries from the holdings to request the item. We consider who charges for copies, scans, or shipping. The RWU Law Library does not charge for most ILLs, so we look for libraries that do not charge fees. Member libraries of the consortia in which the RWU Law Library is a member do not charge other member libraries. We try to request items from these libraries first. We also verify that selected libraries are currently filling requests and fill requests quickly.

Once we submit the request in OCLC Worldshare, the first library on the list receives an alert in their OCLC Worldshare account. If they can fill the request, they process it. If they are unable to fill the request, they reply no, and it is automatically submitted to the next library. We check the progress of these requests several times a day to see if they have been filled and to see if other libraries have submitted ILL requests to us.

Once the request is filled, the lending library marks the request in OCLC Worldshare as filled. If it is an item that will be physically shipped, the request will be marked shipped and listed as in-transit. If the request is for scanned or copied items, the pages are uploaded to a document sharing site and marked accordingly.  A link with a password is provided to us to retrieve the pages. 

When we retrieve the scanned pages or receive the physical item, we mark the request in WorldShare as received. For scanned pages, we then contact the patron that requested the pages and forward them in an email. If the item is a book, we enter the book into our library system and give the book a temporary RWU barcode. We then check the book out to the patron that requested the book and let the library patron know the book is available to be picked up at the circulation desk. The length of time an item is checked out depends on the owning library’s policies.

Most ILL requests will take 3 to 10 days to be fulfilled. There are several reasons why this is the case, and why it may take longer. Every library has lending policies and a request that does not meet their policies will not be filled. Licensing agreements with vendors and copyright laws must be followed. The item requested may be in use or it may be a part of a collection that is not loaned to other libraries, i.e., reserve materials. Physical items delivered through the postal service or private couriers may be delayed due to the service’s current volume. 

Lending Materials

When the Law Library receives an ILL request from another library, we follow our own policies and procedures to help our fellow libraries fulfill their patron’s needs. The process is very much the same: we determine whether the requested item can be provided, ensure that we track loaned books in our system, update OCLC WorldShare as needed, and then provide the item via the document sharing site or mail it using the University’s mail service.

Interlibrary loan is a complex but vital service.  We hope this gives you a glimpse of its complexity and some understanding of why materials can take a long time from request to arrival.  If you have any questions about ILL or need any other library assistance, the librarians and library staff are here to answer your questions. You can contact us at lawlibraryhelp@rwu.edu or Ask a Librarian.