Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Policies

Through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service, the Pinellas Park Public Library can make resources available that it does not own by borrowing them from other libraries in Florida and throughout the entire country. This service complies with the National Interlibrary Loan Code which is sponsored by the American Library Association and participating libraries. A copy of the Code is available at the Reference/Information and Circulation desks.

ILL requests are between libraries, not individuals. There are two ways for patrons to initiate a request. They may access our regional ILL database (iBorrow) from our web site, then search for the item and create the request, or they may ask our Reference staff to assist them in locating the needed item. Before initiating an ILL request, patrons should check our catalog for the item they wish to borrow. The Reference staff is available for information or assistance, if needed.

In most cases ILL services are free of charge to library patrons. The lending and borrowing libraries absorb the processing costs involved in filling ILL requests. In some cases, however, the lending library may assess a special fee for the use of particular items, for photocopies or for shipping and handling. In this case, the patron will be asked to agree to pay any charges before the item is requested from another library, and must pay any costs or charges before the material is picked up.

Generally, all types of materials may be requested on ILL. However, each lending library sets its own restrictions on what it will and will not loan. A majority of the libraries have strict limitations on their audiovisual materials.

Requests for ILL service are available to patrons who have no overdue fines or charges exceeding ten dollars ($10.00) on their records or their dependents' records, and/or no "address correction required" message on their records. All ILL items are checked out for three weeks and cannot be renewed. According to Circulation policy, charges on a patron's record cannot exceed two dollars ($2.00) at the time of checkout.

The ILL service does not allow the ordering of a new fiction (published within the past twelve months) or new non-fiction (published within the past six months), or any items on the current bestseller list or in high demand. Requests for these items will be forwarded to the Assistant Library Director or Collection Management Sr. Librarian for purchase consideration. If they decide not to purchase the item, the patron may reinitiate the ILL request twelve (12) months after the publication date of new fiction and six (6) after the publication date of new non-fiction.

All attempts will be made to process ILL requests in a fair and equitable manner. Pinellas Park Public Library cannot quarantee if or when an item will be received. Turnaround time depends on the type of item and the number of potential lending libraries. The majority of items are received within three weeks. If your request is time-sensitive, please inform the ILL staff when submitting the request.

Patrons will be notified by email when the item arrives. If an email address is not available, a printed notification will be mailed. Patrons are encouraged to inquire as to the status of the item if they are not notified of arrival within three (3) weeks. They may do this by emailing pplill@tblc.org or calling the ILL staff at (727) 541-0718. The library will keep records of unfilled requests on file for two months.

Failure to pick up an ILL item by the hold cut-off date will result in the material being returned and the patron restricted from re-ordering the item for one month.

Materials are to be returned with the ILL labels intact to the Pinellas Park Public Library. This is to ensure that the patron gets credit for returning the item, and the Pinellas Park Public Library gets credit for returning materials to the lending library.

ILL is dependent upon the generosity and goodwill of participating libraries. Patrons are strongly urged to return materials on time and in good condition in order to maintain good relations with other librares. If materials are returned late, overdue fines will be applied. Overdue fines are 10 cents a day per item, with a maximum of ten dollars ($10.00) per item.

Replacement costs are established by the lending libraries. The borrower agrees to care for the material properly and assumes responsibility for replacement or repair costs if the material is lost or damaged. A retrieval fee of ten dollars ($10.00) in addition to the replacement cost may be charged for items not returned.

When an ILL item is lost, damaged, or long overdue, an invoice is requested from the lending library and the patron is charged. On receipt of payment, our library sends a check for the designated amount to the lending library. If an item is later found and returned, no refunds or credit can be given to the patron because the Pinellas Park Public Library cannot request refunds from lending libraries.

The ILL staff is happy to provide this service and is available for questions at (727) 541-0718.

Updated 7/07