InterLibrary Loan

InterLibrary Loan

Date Implemented: 11/23/1981
Revised: 11/7/2000
Revised: 9/20/2004
Responsible Employees: Circulation Staff

Policy Principle

This Policy Principle is intended to resolve situations not covered explicitly by the policies detailed below.

"The Law Library provides interlibrary loan [ILL] services to other libraries. (Services to nonlibraries, including individuals, fall under the policy for Document Delivery.) As a matter of professional courtesy, these services are without charge, except in the limited circumstances identified below. The Law Library will not refuse to do for others what it asks others to do for it."

I. General Policies

1. The Law Library participates in the Interlibrary Loan program for both the borrowing and lending of library materials.

2. The Law Library borrows material from other libraries for the law school's faculty, staff, and students.

3. The Law Library lends materials to libraries, particularly but not limited to academic law libraries, law firms libraries, court libraries, county and state libraries, academic libraries, public libraries, and non-profit organization libraries.

4. Requests for loan of the Law Library's materials are accepted through the OCLC Interlibrary Loan subsystem, on ALA-approved paper forms, by fax, e-mail, or telephone, with the the OCLC request being the preferred method.

II. Loan of Items to Other Libraries

A. Items to be Returned

5. There is no charge for lending books or other returnable materials, unless the borrower requires expedited processing and shipping. Borrowers requesting expedited service must arrange for shipping charges (e.g., provide a FedEx account number), and may also be assessed a service charge by the Law Library. In all cases the borrowing library pays the postage for return of the materials.

6. The Law Library does not lend periodicals, newspapers, reference materials, rare books, reserve materials, or current looseleaf materials. In any event when these materials are loaned, it shall be on terms similar to those on which the Law Library's own patrons can use the materials.

7. The Law Library will loan L.L.M. theses that are not available as .pdf files from the graduate school. Such loans will be conditioned for "Library Use Only."

8. The loan period for materials 30 days with the possibility of renewals for increments of 14 days.

9. The Law Library does not charge overdue fines for ILLs, but will bill for replacement of unreturned items.

10. The Law Library will loan materials only to libraries that provide an e-mail address to which overdue notices and replacement bills may be sent.

B. Items Not to be Returned

11. The Law Library does not charge for photocopies it provides through ILL, unless expedited shipping or faxing is requested by the borrower. In that case, the borrower shall be assessed the rate for Document Delivery

12. The Law Library does not charge other units of the University of Georgia System or members of COSELL for photocopying or sending materials by fax.

13. All requests for copies, regardless of how communicated to the Law Library, must state that the request is in compliance with copyright law. [see relevant policy].

III. Borrowing Items from Other Libraries

14. Patrons of the Law Library who wish to borrow an item from another library must complete the online form available at gavel.law.uga.edu/screens/illmenu.html.

15. Unless otherwise stated, the Law Library assumes the patron is not willing to pay a charge to receive the requested item. Under this circumstance, the Law Library will refuse an offer from a lending library to supply the item if a fee will be charged.

16. The patron is responsible for the timely return of any ILL material to the Law Library's circulation desk. Any request for a renewal must be made before the due date. Renewal is at the discretion of the lending library.

IV. Borrowing for Journal Sub-and-Cites

In conjunction with the Fall 2004 journal EICs, the following guidelines were established regarding treatment of ILL requests for content available in electronic format:

1: If the source is available in any imaged format (TIFF, PDF, etc.), the journals will use that resource.

2: If a secondary source is available in .html format, the Law Library may pass along the costs to the requesting journal. The journal will exercise discretion in making these requests.

3: If primary sources are available in .html format, the Law Library will absorb any costs associated with obtaining a copy.