Interlibrary Loan Policies

Mission

The mission of the UTC Library Interlibrary Loan unit is to support the teaching, learning and research endeavors of UTC students, faculty, and staff by providing access to information not locally available through the quick and accurate processing of information requests, and to contribute to the larger scholarly community through lending our materials. We offer this support by delivering excellent customer service in the most effective and efficient manner possible, valuing the free exchange of information, employing the effective use of technology, establishing beneficial partnerships with other libraries and institutions, encouraging staff to engage in relevant training and development, and improving the unit's effectiveness through systematic, ongoing assessment of data.

Policies

Who can borrow?

• Interlibrary loan services are available to current UTC students, faculty, and staff.

How are requests managed?

• ILL requests for journal articles and book chapters will be sent to libraries that have these materials in their collection and have permission to share these materials. Articles and book chapters will be delivered from the lending library directly to your UTC Library Account as a PDF document. We suggest saving all pdf documents to your own preferred device once received. Files are removed from your account 60 days after the delivery date or after 5 downloads.

• All ILL requests for monographs are assessed for purchase for the UTC Library collection. This assessment will consider cost, relevance to curriculum and research needs, and the availability of the item in an electronic format where licensing allows for the utilization by all students, faculty, and staff. If a requested item meets the criteria for purchase, we will prioritize purchase in an electronic format. Purchase of a print copy will only occur when licensing options provide limited access to UTC students, faculty, and staff or in cases where electronic licensing is cost prohibitive. In cases where we decide an item is not viable for purchase, ILL staff will request a physical item be sent to the UTC Library from another library.

• Lending and borrowing are conducted between libraries and not between libraries and individuals. By submitting an ILL request, users of the ILL service agree to abide by the due date, renewal policies, and any additional restrictions that lending libraries impose on their materials.

What does it cost?

• Eligible UTC ILL users are not responsible for ILL borrowing charges up to $25.00 per request. UTC Library will make every effort to acquire materials at no cost; however, sometimes it is not possible to borrow items for free and libraries assess a fee for the use of their materials. If a fee exceeds $25.00, ILL staff will communicate with you via e-mail to inquire whether or not you would accept charges to access your requested material. If yes, a bill will be placed on your UTC Library Account and can be paid at the Check Out Desk via Scrappy Cash (MocsCard).

• ILL users accept responsibility for all charges assessed by a lending library for overdue, lost, and/or damaged items. The lending library determines whether an item is overdue, lost, or damaged and also determines all fines and fees associated with those conditions. Charges will be passed on directly to you via a bill within your UTC Library Account. Bills for ILL items assessed by other libraries cannot be waived. If fines exceed $15.00, a hold will be placed on your account with the UTC Library and with the University. Payments can be made at the UTC Library Check Out Desk via Scrappy Cash loaded onto your Mocs Card.

What can be borrowed, for how long, and are there other restrictions?

• The ILL service can request books, journal articles, book chapters, and DVDs to support the research and curricular needs of UTC students, faculty, and staff. Interlibrary Loan will make every attempt to acquire requested material but reserves the right to cancel requests for more recreational materials, such as popular fiction, trade paperbacks, self-help books, travel guides, crafting guides, cookbooks, and self-published materials, unless a demonstrated connection to research or an assignment can be provided.

• Eligible UTC ILL users can borrow a maximum of 10 items per week.

• Please anticipate 7 business days for the arrival of physical materials.

• Loan periods for ILL materials are set by the lending library. When you receive your item, it will have details about the due date and whether you may request a renewal to keep the item a bit longer.  If a renewal is allowed, you can request the renewal via your UTC Library Account. You may request only one renewal per item. If the lending library does not agree to your two-week request, we will notify you via e-mail to return the item.

• Items that cannot be renewed under any circumstances will have a “NO RENEWALS” message on the paperwork provided upon check-out.

• The lending library may impose other restrictions on use such as “in library use only” or “no photocopying.” We ask your cooperation in abiding by these restrictions so that we may continue to use these libraries’ collections on behalf of the UTC community.

• We strive to request from libraries that will provide the longest loan period possible for your material. We cannot guarantee specific check-out periods, especially for items with limited availability. We recommend that if you need your item for longer than one month in order to support long-term research or curricular needs to note this when filling out our “Make a Request” form.

• Repeated requests for the same items will not be honored.

• Please be aware that the following items are often difficult to obtain as many libraries will not lend them: rare and older books, popular/new fiction, entire journal volumes, dissertations and theses, conference proceedings, maps, bulky and fragile items, and reference works.

• Textbooks found on the current UTC textbook list and available through the UTC Bookstore cannot be borrowed in print from another library. ILL cannot serve as a replacement for purchasing textbooks. We realize that the burden to purchase textbooks is often high. If you are finding it difficult to acquire your textbooks, please let your instructor know and encourage them to place a copy in our Course Reserves. You may also want to speak with a UTC Bookstore representative about rental options.

How do I make a request, how long does it take, and where do I pick up and return borrowed items?

• Requests are submitted using the “Make a Request” form available in the UTC Library catalog. Log in to your UTC Library Account using your UTCID and Password to place a request. You can also use the “Get It @ UTC” button in WorldCat and our other databases to connect you to the “Make a Request” form.

• ILL works best if the request submitted is complete. ILL expects users to verify that a requested item is not already available through the UTC Library.  You can use the UTC Library Catalog to search for citations/titles. If you have any questions about using our search tools, please contact us at [email protected]. Users are also responsible for providing a complete bibliographic citation for each item requested, including author, title, date of publication, pages needed, etc. The source of the citation (database searched and accession number, book reference and page) are also very helpful and can be added as notes. Any other special information like deadlines or format or edition needed are appreciated.

• You will be notified by e-mail when your requested item is available.

• Articles and book chapters are delivered electronically as a PDF document to your UTC Library Account. It typically takes 1-2 business days for articles and book chapters to be delivered to your account. We suggest saving all PDF documents to your own preferred device once received. Files are removed from your account 60 days after delivery date or after 5 downloads.

• Books and DVDs can be picked up and returned at the Check Out Desk on the first floor of the UTC Library. Please anticipate 7 business days for the arrival of books and DVDs.