Notice: Some of our Terms and Conditions have recently changed. Please read and agree to the Interlibrary Loan Terms and Conditions before placing your request.

ILL service currently has a limit of three requests per patron. 

To prevent being charged for an item you do not need, please contact us as soon as possible if you no longer need your ILL request fulfilled. Patrons are still responsible for interlibrary loan fees for items that are received and not picked up.

Looking for something that is not in our catalog? If we don't have the materials you need, or if the item you're looking for in our collection is marked 'missing,' or 'lost,' we will be happy to set up an interlibrary loan for you.

NOTICE—WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS:

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use," that user may be liable for infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Is it free?

There is a small charge for items loaned between libraries, to cover the cost of shipping. If your request is fulfilled, you will need to pay this fee in order to pick up your item. Your account will be charged the following amount when the item arrives at the Interlibrary Loan office:

· $3.00 per book

· $1.00 per microfilm roll

· $1.00 for all digital copy requests (this excludes e-books)

· Photocopies will be at the standard copy charge of .15 for black and white .25 for color per page

(In addition, special libraries, medical libraries, and some university libraries charge a fee for loans or photocopies. These would be in addition to our Interlibrary Loan fee. We always attempt to request from free lenders first. If there is an additional fee, you will be contacted in advance.)

Patrons are responsible for any fines or fees (such as overdue fines or lost item fees) that are received from the lending library. 

If an ILL item is not returned within 14 days of the due date, it will be declared "Lost." The library account will become restricted, which will prevent the patron from checking out any new materials or using various library services. The restriction will not be removed until the ILL item is either returned or the replacement cost of the item is paid.

Any outstanding shipping fees for ILL items that were received but never picked up must be paid and restrictions due to ILL items that were declared "Lost" must be cleared before another ILL request can be placed.

Can any library user request an interlibrary loan?

Only patrons over the age of 18 with a resident or out of county resident borrower card may request an interlibrary loan.  

What materials can I get through interlibrary loan?

You can get most circulating books, as well as microfilm and photocopies. Most libraries will not loan any recently acquired books (usually anything a library has had fewer than six months), special collections material, audio-visual materials (including CDs and DVDs), reference material, or textbooks.

How do I make a request?

You can place your request through the form below. Patrons are currently limited to three active requests at a time. An active request is any ILL request that (1) has been submitted and is being reviewed, (2) has been received and is awaiting pickup, or (3) is in use and has not yet been returned.

How long will it take for my item to come in?

Generally it takes 2-4 weeks, but items can take much longer to arrive. Specific shipping times cannot be guaranteed. Some factors that determine how long your item will take to arrive are:

1. The item's distance from Huntsville. We will try to locate your item in the State of Alabama library system first, but if your requested item isn't available in Alabama, we will then search nationwide. A nationwide search will take longer to find and longer to ship.
2. How rare the book is. Some libraries may not lend out books that are considered rare or fragile, and may decline to make copies.
3. The postal service. All requests must go through the postal service, and mail is sometimes lost or misdirected.

How long may I keep the loaned item?

The owning library determines the due date on your item. We also need to allow for mailing time to return the item to them before their deadline. Please disregard any dates listed in the book. Your due date is on the book strap attached to your item.