
Can't Find What You Need in Your Local Library?

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Interlibrary loan (ILL) is the borrowing and loaning of materials from one library that owns a particular book or journal to another library that does not to meet special interests or research needs of individual library users. Interlibrary loan service, sometimes called just Interloan, is provided because no single library can own everything.
What can be requested? Books and magazine articles primarily but other kinds of material, such as government documents, technical reports and patents, or materials in special formats such as large type books may also be available.
Who can request? Any registered borrower in “good standing” (does not have any lost books or fines outstanding) of a public library located in Chautauqua or Cattaraugus counties. All public libraries in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties have interlibrary loan service available through the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System.
How do I request information? Ask your library staff to check the online catalog. They may be a able to place a hold directly for you. Otherwise there are two types of Interlibrary forms: book-ILL forms for title requests and periodical-ILL forms for your magazine article requests.
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How does Interlibrary Loan work? Your request will be forwarded from your local library to the Interloan Department of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System. Interloan staff will try to locate the item you want in one of our local libraries. If it is not available in our region, they will search OCLC – an international computerized network of libraries. Approximately 95% of items requested are found and provided for those who ask for them.
How long does it take It depends on where we have to go to locate your material and on mail and delivery time. Quite often you can receive your information in one week, but it may take up to two to three weeks. Please specify on your request the date by which you need it.
What does Interlibrary Loan cost? Most often it is FREE if the item you are seeking is located within Chautauqua or Cattaraugus public libraries. If the book you want is owned outside our two-county public library area, we charge $1.00 to help cover the cost of postage. Medical journal articles can cost $11.00 each. Some lending libraries charge for postage ($3.00 to $5.00). Please mark on your form the maximum you are willing to pay for your information. There is a space on each form for charges. Remember, most often your information will be free.
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