Interlibrary Loan FAQs

Anyone with a valid PVLD library card, with no overdue materials, or unpaid fines or fees attached.

• Books
• Conference proceedings
• Dissertations
• Microfilm (including genealogy film from Family History Library, Salt Lake City)
• Musical scores
• Periodical articles

• Audiobooks
• CDs
• DVDs
• Videocassettes
• New books published within the last 6 months. (Date is verifiable on WorldCat.)

There is a non-refundable fee of $2 per ILL request, which is assessed at the time the request is placed. This fee is for the Interlibrary Loan search only, and is assessed regardless of whether or not the material is available. If a source is found to be non-circulating, contact the Reference Desk for help with possible alternatives. Fees charged by lending libraries are passed on to requestor, but only with requestor’s prior approval. Genealogy microfilm from Family History Library is a pre-paid $5.50 per reel. Copies of articles are $.15 per page, payable at the time of pickup. A $5.00 fee is assessed for materials ordered and received, but not picked up. Overdue fines for ILL materials are $3.00 per day per item.

This depends on the location of the lender. On average, a week to 10 days for loans filled from local public libraries, and 10 days to 3 weeks for out-of-area lenders, such as university or non-California libraries.

There is a limit of 5 requests per patron at any one time, including those in process.

Online through the Library’s website www.pvld.org.

• Click on Online Resources. Under Reference, click on WorldCat. Type desired title in title box. Enter. Click on ILL button in gray bar above title. Enter personal information in required boxes. Click on Submit.
• For copies of periodical articles, type periodical title in title box. Enter. Click ILL button in gray bar above title. Enter personal information in required boxes. In Notes//Articles box at bottom of personal information page, enter citation info including title and author of article, date and pages of issue. (You are limited to submitting one article per request.) Click on Submit.

OR

Order at the Reference Desks of any District library, in person or by telephone.

Note that Family History Library genealogy microfilm must be ordered in person at the Peninsula Center Library Reference Desk, and must be prepaid before submission.

Patrons are notified by phone or e-mail as soon as their ILL materials are ready for pickup. (An e-mail address is preferred as it allows for more detailed information.) If there has been no notification, the material is not yet here.

No. Due to the fact that such items are usually rare, fragile, unique and have an extremely limited lender base, we are lucky when the lending libraries are willing to send them. Since this is a nationwide system, it is easy to see the possibility of this happening when you do your search and there are few lenders to choose from.

At the Circulation desk of Peninsula Center Library.

Patrons may request that ILL materials be sent to a Branch library for pickup, but must then allow for an extra two days to receive and return them, which shortens use period.

Due dates are set by the lending libraries and will vary from the usual PVLD loan periods. Specific due dates are written on the blue or yellow book bands that identify Interlibrary Loan items. Do not remove these bands!

No. ILL materials must be returned on or before the due date. If more time is needed, the item may be re-requested from another library.

In person at the Circulation desk of the library from which the material was checked out. Do not return ILL books in any book drop!

Yes. To be able to track the progress of a request, it is necessary first to establish a personal ILL account. Go to WorldCat. Click on My Account in the upper right side of the WorldCat screen. Click on New User Registration. Enter a user name and password, and fill out patron information form. This process only needs to be done once.

After a personal My Account has been created, all future ILL requests are placed by going FIRST to My Account. Enter your user name, password, and THEN enter title to be searched. Follow procedure as outlined above, i.e., search, click on ILL button, complete application, submit. This process connects user record to any new ILL requests and allows them to be saved and tracked.

After a personal account is established, it is possible to track future ILL requests. Click on My Account. Fill in user name and password. Submit. Click on Go to Page button. Select My Requests and check status. Status examples may be:

• Pending (waiting for potential lender to reply),
• Shipped (item is on its way), or
• Received (item has arrived and is being processed for use.)

Yes. Once in My Account, it is possible to create a folder, save searches, or send information to personal e-mail. Follow directions on screen.

For additional Interlibrary Loan assistance, visit the reference desks at any Peninsula library, or call (310) 377-9584, ext. 601.

Anyone with a valid PVLD library card, with no overdue materials, or unpaid fines or fees attached.