Interlibrary Loan
What is Interlibrary Loan?
An interlibrary loan (ILL) transaction is a request to borrow books or material from another library or institution.
Who can use Interlibrary Loan?
Flower Mound Public Library cardholders in good standing may use this service.
Is there a charge or fee for this service?
At the present time, Flower Mound Public Library does not charge a fee for this service. The Library asks the borrower to pay any return postage for items that are mailed to the library. Some libraries charge a fee for lending and insuring valuable or special collections and the borrower is responsible for these charges as well.
What kinds of materials can be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan?
Books and magazine articles are the primary items obtained through interlibrary loan. Requests may only be made for materials not owned by the Flower Mound Public Library. Materials that cannot be obtained through Flower Mound Public Library's interlibrary loan services include:
- New or currently popular materials, less than six months old;
- Additional copies of materials already owned by the library;
- Most genealogy materials (photocopies of material may be requested).
- Most genealogy materials
- Non-circulating and reference materials;
- Newspapers in original format (newspaper articles may be obtained from the library's databases);
- Rare materials, such as original manuscripts, unique items, etc.
What is the procedure for obtaining materials through Interlibrary Loan?
Interlibrary loan request forms are available at the Information Desk. The reference librarian will be happy to assist you. An online request form is also available. Please fill out the form completely and indicate the date no longer needed.
You will be contacted by telephone or email (as indicated by your choice in your library patron account) when the item arrives. The item will be held for you for five days. If the item is not picked up in the time allotted, it will be returned to the lending library. If you request material that cannot be obtained through ILL, the pertinent information will be noted in your patron record.
Interlibrary loan requests will be limited to three per borrower at a time. Requests for copies of periodical articles that do not need to be checked out are not limited. If you do not pick up your ILL holds by the specified date, the material will be sent back to the lending library and a cancellation notice will be put into your patron record. Three cancellation notices will result in ILL privileges being revoked.
How long does it take for materials to arrive?
Most materials are received within two to three weeks. Because the process is dependent upon responses from other institutions and delivery systems, delivery time may vary widely. Some materials, e.g. items which are difficult to locate, may take considerably longer than average. A few items may never become available for borrowing. Try to allow adequate lead time when making a request. If you have a specific deadline by which you need the material, indicate upon the form where it shows a "need-by-date." We will try to obtain the item by that date, or will cancel the request if it cannot be obtained within that time.
How long can materials be kept for use?
Materials are checked out for the length of time the lender allows. Interlibrary loans cannot be renewed. In cooperation with the lending library, we are obligated to return all materials on time. Interlibrary loan service is dependent upon the cooperation of many libraries and their staff. Please help by returning your materials on time. Consistently overdue items will result in the suspension of interlibrary loan privileges for you and the library.