Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) refers to the borrowing and lending of books and other materials between libraries, including the delivery of electronic or photocopied articles from periodicals. The ILL service is designed to serve the research needs of Bluffton University students, faculty and staff. With interlibrary loan, staff at Musselman Library attempt to find a library which owns what you need and will loan it to us.
The ILL service is used when materials are not available here at Bluffton or from OhioLINK borrowing. Also, ILL (not OhioLINK) is used to request articles from journals, magazines and newspapers, whenever the content is not available from Musselman Library s print or electronic collections.
To make an ILL request, use our request forms for articles or for books, videos and other media. Whenever you have questions about making an interlibrary loan request (or wonder if the resource may actually be available here or from an OhioLINK library), be sure to consult with a librarian.
Frequently Asked Questions from our patrons:
What's the difference between ILL and OhioLINK/OPAL?
Who may use ILL?
How long does it take?
How will the item be delivered, and how will I be notified?
How much does it cost?
How long can I keep the item?
May I renew the item?
Will I be charged overdue fines?
Do I need to be concerned about copyright?
I have more questions. Whom can I contact?
What's the difference between ILL and OhioLINK/OPAL?
Interlibrary loan provides access to resources not available from our partner libraries
in Ohio, members of the OPAL (Ohio Private Academic Libraries) and OhioLINK consortia.
With interlibrary loan, staff at Musselman Library attempt to locate a library which
owns what you need and will loan it to us, whether here in the United States or locations
around the world.
Who may use ILL?
All current Bluffton University students, faculty, and staff are eligible to borrow
materials via interlibrary loan. Community and alumni patrons are eligible for a limited
number of loans from OPAL and OhioLINK libraries but not for traditional interlibrary
loan or document (article) delivery.
How long does it take?
Articles: An average wait is about one week for articles; however, it could take up
to three weeks for articles that are difficult to locate or that are delivered by
postal mail. More and more, libraries provide articles electronically, and so the
wait time is less.
Books and other media: An average wait is about two weeks for these materials.
How will the item be delivered, and how will I be notified?
Articles: Usually the article will be delivered by email, so be sure to include your
email address on your requests. Sometimes the article will be delivered by campus
mail.
Books and other media: These will be placed on hold for you at the Circulation/Info Desk. You will be notified by email when an interlibrary loan item is ready for you to pick up.
The ILL department will do its best to accommodate special arrangements for material delivery; patrons needing special arrangements may note this on the electronic request form or by email to illassist@bluffton.edu.
How much does it cost?
Usually, there are no costs associated with interlibrary loan requests. Occasionally,
there may be charges for lending and/or copyright, but Musselman Library will pay
for up to $20.00 for an interlibrary loan request. If the cost is above this amount,
we will contact you to verify that you are willing to pay the difference before we
request the item. Also, if there are multiple requests that involve special lending
and/or copyright charges for the library, there may be need to review these requests
with you.
How long can I keep the item?
Each library from which we borrow has their own policies and procedures they must
follow. This means some libraries may only allow one week, while other libraries will
allow three weeks. The due date is set from the time the lending library sends the
book out NOT from the time you check it out. Articles do not need to be returned.
May I renew the item?
Some libraries allow renewals, while others do not. If you need a renewal, please
contact illassist@bluffton.edu or call 419-358-3450 at least three days in advance of the due date, and we will
contact the loaning library to request a renewal. Remember, however, this is only
a request; while most libraries allow renewals, some will not.
Will I be charged overdue fines?
If your book (or other item) is overdue, you will be charged overdue fines of .50
cents a day, beginning the day after the due date period printed on the book band.
There is NO grace period on interlibrary loan materials. Any item 30 days or more
overdue will automatically be billed for replacement at $115.00 and your library account
will be suspended. Upon timely return, this amount will be reduced to the fine of
$15.00.
Do I need to be concerned about copyright?
The interlibrary loan department will keep track of copyright needs for you. In brief,
the ILL department follows these procedures to ensure copyright compliance:
- No more than one request for an article photocopy may be made per person from any one issue of a periodical.
- A total of no more than five requests may be made from the issues published within the past five years from any one periodical title.
Anything that exceeds these guidelines will need copyright permission. If there are copyright charges that exceed the $20.00 allowed for each request, the ILL department will contact you before proceeding with your request.
I have more questions. Whom can I contact?
Please contact us via our Need Help-Ask Us page for any other questions.