Monessen District Center

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service: Standard Delivery

Copyright (C) 2000, 2001 Monessen Public Library, 326 Donner Ave., Monessen, PA 15062-1182.

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

Last updated on February 02, 2001.

What We Need You to Do:

Table of Contents

  1. Book (Title) Requests
  2. Magazine Article Requests
  3. Subject Requests
  4. Author Requests
  5. (What We Do)

Book (Title) Requests

When You Create and Submit the Request:

  1. Please submit your request to us using our TITLE Request Form. (We prefer that a Librarian fill out the Form.)
  2. Please submit only one request on each Form.
  3. Please make the print as dark as possible.
  4. Complete as much of the Form as appropriate.
  5. Include the initials of a staff member we can talk to if we have questions.
  6. You can send your request to us by: mail, fax, our van, (or phone, if you need an immediate response; ask for the Reference librarian).

When You Receive the Book:

If we (mpl) sent you the book:

If some other library sent you the book:

  1. When opening the bag, please remove the staples. If you do not, then we:
  2. Find, and make a note of, the due-date. Your patron can keep the book until then. (NOTE: Occasionally, OCLC lending libraries "recall" a book before its due date. OCLC protocol states that borrowing libraries should return the book at that time, and not keep it until its due date.)
  3. Check the condition of the bag. If it is worn out or seriously damaged, you can trash it. (If you want to keep a few bags, you can. We do not need all of them, we have plenty.)
  4. Place all the accompanying paperwork into an empty shipping bag or envelope. If there is no accompanying paperwork, please write the title (and ILL number, etc.) on a piece of paper for us.
  5. Leave the paperwork for our van driver. (We need it!)

When Your Patron Is Finished With the Book:

  1. Leave the book for our van driver. Please include a copy of the ILL Request Form.

We appreciate your cooperation!

Return to the Table of Contents

[Top of Page][Book][Article][Subject][Author][What We Do]

Magazine Article Requests

When You Create and Submit the Request:

  1. Please submit your requests to us using our ARTICLE Request Form. (We prefer that a Librarian fill out the Form.)
  2. Please submit only one request on each Form.
  3. Please make the print as dark as possible.
  4. Complete as much of the Form as appropriate. (Lending libraries can not fill requests from incomplete bibliographic citations.) NOTE: If a magazine is technical (very specialized, for professionals), usually only universities and colleges carry them, and they charge fees. Please write how much the patron is willing to pay.
  5. Include the initials of a staff member (if we have questions).
  6. You can send your request to us by: mail, fax, our van, (or phone, if you need an immediate response; ask for the Reference Librarian).

When You Receive a Photocopy of the Article:

If we (mpl) sent you the photocopy:

If some other library sent you the photocopy:

  1. Your patron can keep the photocopied article. (You do not need to return it to anyone.)
  2. Please place all the accompanying paperwork into the empty envelope. If there is no accompanying paperwork, please write the title (and/or ILL number, etc.) on a piece of paper for us.
  3. Please leave the envelope (and paperwork) for our van driver.

We appreciate your cooperation!

Return to the Table of Contents

[Top of Page][Book][Article][Subject][Author][What We Do]

Subject Requests

When You Create and Submit The Request:

  1. Please submit your request to us using our SUBJECT Request Form. (We prefer that a Librarian fill out the Form.)
  2. Please submit only one request on each Form.
  3. Please make the print as dark as possible.
  4. Please be as specific as possible. Describe the request in a sentence or two. (The more more specific and detailed your description, the greater the likelihood of success.)
  5. Complete as much of the Form as appropriate.
  6. Include the initials of a staff member we can talk to if we have questions.
  7. You can send your request to us by: mail, fax, our van, (or phone, if you need an immediate response; ask for the Reference Librarian).

When You Receive the Materials:

If we sent you photocopies:

If we sent you books:

If some other library sent you either photocopies or books (This will happen occasionally, although it is not supposed to):

  1. Find, and make a note of, any due-date. Your patron can keep any book(s) until then. Your patron does not need to return photocopies of articles or pages. (NOTE: Occasionally, OCLC lending libraries "recall" a book before its due date. OCLC protocol states that borrowing libraries should return the book at that time, and not keep it until its due date.)
  2. Place all the accompanying paperwork into the empty shipping bag/envelope. If there is no accompanying paperwork, please write the title (and/or ILL number, etc.) on a piece of paper for us.
  3. Leave the bag/envelope (and paperwork) for our van driver. (Please feel free to keep some shipping bags for your own use.)
  4. Please include a copy of the (mpl) ILL Request Form.

When Your Patron Is Finished With Book(s):

We appreciate your cooperation!

[Top of Page][Book][Article][Subject][Author][What We Do]

Author Requests

When You Create and Submit the Request:

  1. Please submit your request to us using our TITLE Request Form. (We prefer that a Librarian fill out the Form.)
  2. Please leave the Title Field Blank.
  3. Please write: "Author Request:" in the Notes Field.
  4. Write your note in the Notes Field.
  5. Follow the procedure for Title Requests.

We appreciate your cooperation!

[Top of Page][Book][Article][Subject][Author][What We Do]

What We Do:

Book (Title) and Magazine Article Requests:

If we reserve one of our copies of a book for you, we send you a duplicate copy of your ILL Request Form, with a note (a date) stating that it is reserved. We send you the book when it becomes available.

If we can not supply a book from our collection*, we forward the request onto the nationwide OCLC Interlibary Loan Subsystem. As proof, we send you a printed copy of the request's OCLC screen-display. (If you do not want the copies of the screen displays, let us know.)

The paperwork that usually accompanies a book (or article) you receive from some other library in the U.S. is important to us. We need it to: 1) ensure that you receive your materials in a timely fashion, and 2) update the OCLC ILL Subsystem (which we are required to do).

Subject Requests:

If we can not satisfy your request from our collection*, we search the OCLC database and/or forward the request to one of the "Resource Centers"** in PA (such as Carnegie Libarary of Pittsburgh).

We, not the Lending Library, deliver (or ship) the material to you (using the quickest method); along with a copy of your original ILL Request Form. We do this to ensure that you have the name and phone number of the patron (and what s/he requested). Your due-date (if any), is on the duplicate copy of your ILL Request Form.

* NOTE: Our ILL Aides bring Interlibrary Loan Requests to the attention of our Collection Development Librarian for consideration for acquisition when we receive: 1) multiple requests for a title, and 2) requests for just-published titles.

** NOTE: PA's Resource Centers are: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh; the State Library of PA; Penn State University Library; and the Free Library of Philadelphia.

We appreciate your cooperation!

[Top of Page][Book][Article][Subject][Author][What We Do]

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