AMHERST TOWN LIBRARY INTERLIBRARY LOAN POLICY

 

With our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service, you can access materials from other libraries throughout New Hampshire and the rest of the country.  Interlibrary Loan is a primary service that supports the mission of the library by providing enhanced access to library materials and information.  The purpose of Interlibrary Loan is to obtain materials not available in our library and to provide material from our collection to other libraries. 

The library affirms that Interlibrary Loan is an adjunct to, not a substitute for, the library’s collection.  The Amherst Town Library participates in Interlibrary Loan in order to support the diverse research needs of library users and to satisfy their broad reading interests. [This policy defines those items not available through self-initiated patron requests through our GMILCS ILS system.]

 

I.  Definition

 

Interlibrary Loan is a transaction in which the Amherst Town Library borrows materials directly from another library on behalf of a patron, or another library borrows materials from the Amherst Town Library on behalf of its patron.

 

II. Conditions of Service

 

In delivery of Interlibrary Loan services both in borrowing and in lending, the Staff will follow procedures established at the Amherst Town Library in accordance with the standards of the American Library Association’s Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States, the United States Copyright Law and the United States Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) Guidelines, federal and state laws governing confidentiality of records, the New Hampshire State Library System, and GMILCS, Inc.

 

III. Interlibrary Loan BORROWING

 

  1. Users

 

Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Service is available to all patrons holding a valid library card from the Amherst Town Library.  It is important that the patron “contact information” be up-to-date and any attached fines to the patron’s record be under $3.00 at time of pick up.

 

 

 

  1. Types of Materials Borrowed

 

Amherst Town Library patrons may request specific materials not owned by the Amherst Town Library, materials missing from the library’s collection, or materials owned by the library that are being repaired or temporarily unavailable.  If a title is owned by the Amherst Town Library and currently checked out, it is preferable to place a hold on that item for the patron.  If the item requested is for a book club, time essential research, or other “urgent” need, an Interlibrary Loan request may be made for that item. Library Staff has the discretion to make the decision whether an   Interlibrary Loan is appropriate at the time of request.  Circumstances to consider in this decision include: book club need, title is part of a local school reading list, and whether there exists an extended wait time at the Amherst Town Library, yet the title is easily available at other libraries.  All formats (i.e. audios, videos, books, journal articles, etc.) may be requested. 

 

  1. How to Submit a Request

 

A patron may place a request in-person at the Information and Research Desk, the Circulation Desk, and the Children’s Room Desk, via email (library@amherst.lib.nh.us), via fax (603-672-6063), or over the phone (603-673-2288).  Each patron may submit up to three requests at one time.  Additional requests will be accepted at the discretion of the Staff.

 

  1. Turnaround Time

 

Service will be provided as quickly as possible.  The Amherst Town Library makes every effort to place requests with a potential lending library within 24 hours.  Turnaround time varies depending upon the lending library’s response and the materials requested.  Patrons will be notified by telephone or email as soon as the requested item arrives at the Amherst Town Library.  For in-state requests, the Amherst Town Library receives materials through the New Hampshire State Van delivery service 5 days a week.  It is a reasonable expectation to receive an item within 1 week of the request in most cases.  Out-of-state requests usually necessitate a longer turnaround time and often depend on time associated with mail delivery.  If patrons have time restraints on their requests, the Staff will seek to expedite the request to the best of their ability.  Once a patron has been notified of a requested item’s arrival, the Amherst Town Library strongly encourages the patron to pick the item up within 1 week. 

 

  1. Conditions of Use

 

The Amherst Town Library will observe any restrictions or limitations of loaned materials [i.e. “in library use only”, limited loan periods, etc.] that are imposed by a lending library.

 

  1. Loan Period

 

Interlibrary Loan items are checked out to patrons for a loan period of 3 weeks.  For Book Club Members, books are set to be due 3 days after the scheduled book discussion.  Yet, as noted above in section E, conditions of use may dictate a different loan period. Renewals are possible if all parties involved in the transaction agree to the extended loan period.  The Amherst Town Library strongly encourages renewal requests be made in advance of the due date to lead to more efficient communication and processing with the lending library.  Interlibrary Loan items are returned by patrons to the Amherst Town Library at completion of the patron’s loan period.  The Amherst Town Library then processes the item for return to the lending library. 

 

  1. Charges

 

The Amherst Town Library does not impose a fee for borrowing materials through Interlibrary Loan from other libraries in New Hampshire.  However, out-of-state libraries do often impose fees for various services.  If the lending library specifies that it imposes fees for Interlibrary Loan (i.e. postage, insurance expenses, photocopy charges, or general fees), patrons will be consulted about their willingness to pay before the materials are borrowed.  Once a patron authorizes the charges, he/she is responsible for payment even if the item is not picked up.  In addition, patrons incur an automatic charge of $5.00 for shipping and handling if it is necessary to obtain the interlibrary loan material from an out-of-state source.  If a “series” of items are being sent from an out-of-state library, require multiple mailings, and are generated by one patron’s request, shipping and handling costs to the patron may be reduced at the discretion of the Library Director.

 

  1. Responsibility

 

The patron is responsible for picking up the requested item at the Amherst Town Library within 1 week of notification.  It is also the responsibility of the patron to return the item to the Amherst Town Library in a timely fashion.  If an item received through Interlibrary Loan is returned late, overdue fines are incurred by the patron at 25 cents per day with a maximum fine of $4.00 per item.  If an item is damaged or lost, the patron is responsible for the cost or replacement of the item [depending on the lending library’s preference], any processing fee charged by the lending library, and a $2.00 processing fee assessed by the Amherst Town Library.  Failure to return Interlibrary Loan items on time or to pick up items ordered through Interlibrary Loan could result in fines and /or suspension of Interlibrary Loan privileges.  The Amherst Town Library will be responsible to the lending library for materials borrowed on behalf of its patrons, from the time the material arrives at the Amherst Town Library until the item is returned to the lending library. 

 

  1. Statistics

 

The Amherst Town Library will maintain records of current transactions in order to inform patrons of the status of their requests and will annually report activity (numbers of transactions) as required to the New Hampshire State Library.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V. Interlibrary Loan LENDING

 

  1. Users

 

The Amherst Town Library will loan materials to all libraries that abide by the standards set forth in Section II, Conditions of Service, of this policy.  Additionally, the library will respond to all requests from other libraries informing the library of the status (i.e. “filled” or “denied”) of their request.

 

  1. Materials Available

 

All materials from the Amherst Town Library collection are available for loan except the following:  Reference Collection materials, Archival Collection materials, and any item in high demand in the Amherst Town Library.  NHU-PAC (New Hampshire Union Public Access Catalog) requests to our library for newly purchased items may be denied if the item has only been on the shelf for one month or less.

 

  1. Format for Requests

 

The Amherst Town Library responds to email (library@amherst.lib.nh.us), fax (603-672-6063), phone (603-673-2288), mail (Amherst Town Library, 14 Main St., Amherst, NH 03031), and NHU-PAC requests.  The Amherst Town Library responds to both in and out-of-state requests.  For out-of-state requests, an email, or ALA fax or mailed form, is necessary to accompany phone requests. 

 

  1. Turnaround

 

The Amherst Town Library will endeavor to respond as quickly as possible to all requests and seeks to have the item sent in the appropriate manner to the requesting library within 2 days.

 

  1. Loan Period

 

Interlibrary Loan items are checked out to other libraries for a loan period of 4 weeks.  READS-TO-GO Book Club Kits may be checked out to other libraries for a loan period of up to 8 weeks.  Renewals are possible if all parties involved in the transaction agree to the extended loan period.

 

  1. Charges

 

The Amherst Town Library does not charge for lending materials to other libraries through the New Hampshire State Van delivery system.  For requests from libraries outside the New Hampshire State Van delivery system, the Amherst Town Library reserves the right to pass on any charges incurred that are deemed beyond the reasonable costs (i.e. mailing, photocopy, or insurance costs).  “Beyond the reasonable costs” is defined as above $10.00.  The Amherst Town Library will charge the borrowing library for materials that are damaged or lost on Interlibrary Loan.  The cost reflects the replacement cost of the item plus a $2.00 processing fee.

 

Contact Information

 

Amherst Town Library

Reference Department

14 Main Street

Amherst, New Hampshire 03031

Phone: (603) 673-2288
Fax: (603) 672-6063
Website: http://www.amherst.lib.nh.us
 mailto: library@amherst.lib.nh.us