Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
The Des Plaines Valley Public Library District is a member of the Prairie
Area Library System, a regional library cooperative, which provides
access to materials in a shared catalog that can be made available to any
library cardholder. Should you want or need an item that you cannot
locate in our library catalog,
please follow the steps below. Our Adult Services staff will help you to
obtain your selection from within the state or throughout the country.
How do I request an item from another library?
You may submit your request through our online form
or you may print and fill out our paper form,
and submit it to the Crest Hill or Lockport reference desk.
Interlibrary Loan Frequently Asked Questions
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What is interlibrary loan (ILL)?
Interlibrary loan is a service that allows library patrons to obtain materials
that are not owned or in stock at the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District.
What types of ILL are there?
There are two types of ILL services provided by the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District:
- Reciprocal borrowing: Also called in-system borrowing,
this service is provided to all Illinois library patrons,
regardless of the library of which you are a cardholder.
Items that are found in the Prairie Area Library System’s PrairieCat library catalog
can be placed on hold request and routed directly to the library of your choosing.
If a patron is a cardholder at a library outside of the Prairie Area Library System,
he or she may apply for reciprocal borrowing privileges at the Circulation Department
in either of our library’s branches in order to borrow materials from libraries in our library system.
Circulation, Children’s and the Adult Services Departmental staff can assist patrons in the placing
of requests on in-system items.
- OCLC Resource Sharing: Also called out-of-system borrowing,
this service is provided to Prairie Area Library System cardholders only.
Materials that are not found throughout the Prairie Area Library System’s
PrairieCat library catalog
can usually be located through the national library catalog, OCLC’s WorldCat.
The Des Plaines Valley Public Library District extends statewide and national borrowing privileges
to all cardholders within the Prairie Area Library System.
Our Adult Services staff will assist you with filling your requests on out-of-system items.
Who can use ILL?
All Illinois residents may place interlibrary loan requests in one of two ways:
by requesting items found in the PrairieCat library catalog online or with a staff member’s
help if you are a cardholder or reciprocal borrower of a Prairie Area Library System
member library,
or by making a special request at the Adult Services reference desk for materials you cannot find in,
or request through, the library catalog.
Are there limits to how many items I can request or rent at any one time?
Out-of-system OCLC Resource Sharing requests are limited to five (5) borrowed items of this type at a time.
What types of materials are available for ILL?
Most material types found within the Prairie Area Library System’s
PrairieCat library catalog may be requested by the patron or with the help of library staff.
OCLC Resource Sharing also provides access to materials of all formats including bound periodicals,
journal articles for photocopying, microprint and Braille. Exceptions to in-system and out-of-system
borrowing include: video games, electronic resources, computer files, newly acquired items,
reference materials, local history room materials,
DVDs from out of state and items found outside of the United States.
Is there a charge for ILL?
Requests are made at no charge to the patron;
however, some OCLC Resource Sharing libraries will only rent or photocopy for a small fee,
which will be passed along to the patron if agreed upon.
Efforts will be made to obtain your request free of charge.
How do I place a request?
In-system requests can be taken on the phone or in person at the library,
or can be requested directly through the PrairieCat catalog by individual library patrons.
Out-of-system requests (those that are not found in the PrairieCat catalog)
must be submitted to the Adult Services Reference department.
Paper request forms are available at the Adult Reference
desk in our Crest Hill and Lockport locations,
and a convenient online form is also posted on our library’s website for out-of-system requests.
We will also accept your requests by phone and in person.
Please be sure to provide us with as much information as possible to ensure
quick processing of your requests.
How long does it take for an item to arrive?
In-system reciprocal borrowing requests can span a delivery time
of one to five business days to a longer wait,
depending on the location of the supplying library and the total amount of requests
on an item at any given time.
Out-of-system OCLC borrowing requests generally take longer,
particularly if the material is coming from out of state.
Please advise library staff if you have a “need by” date for your request.
How long can I keep the material? May I renew it?
In-system reciprocal borrowing requests are often loaned to you for the same amount
of time as items owned by the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District.
Renewals of in-system materials for an extended due date may be made online via PrairieCat,
in person or on the phone, but are never guaranteed.
Out-of-system OCLC borrowing requests are limited to one week for CDs and DVDs
and two weeks for all other materials.
Renewals for out-of-system materials may be requested via email, over the phone,
or in person with the reference staff.
Does interlibrary loan borrowing accrue fines?
In-system and out-of-system requests accrue the same fine structure as items borrowed from our branches.
Fine structures are found on the Circulation Policies portion of our website.
A $3.00 fine will be added to any out-of-system material that is returned without its
circulating barcode card.
Where do I pick up and return my materials?
Items are retrieved, rented and returned at the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District circulation desks.
In-system materials may be returned to any Prairie Area Library System area library, however,
out-of-system OCLC materials must be returned to the branch at which they were requested and borrowed.
Who do I contact for help, additional information, or further questions?
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