Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Services allows Westchester Library System patrons to obtain print materials, such as books and magazine articles, that are not owned by WLS libraries. Interlibrary Loan is a transaction in which the Westchester Library System borrows materials directly from another library on behalf of a patron, or another library borrows materials from a WLS member library on behalf of its patron.
Who can request interlibrary loans?
What materials can I request?
Are there restrictions on ILL items?
What does it cost?
How do I request an ILL item?
How many requests can I make?
How do I get my items?
How long does it take to receive an item?
How can I get information about the status of my request?
How do I know when my items are ready for pickup?
How long can I borrow an item, are they renewable?
Will I get late fees if I don’t return an ILL on time?
What happens if I lose an ILL item?
Can ILL privileges be revoked?
Copyright notice
Who can request interlibrary loans?
Adult (18+) patrons with a current, non-temporary WLS library card or non-resident (fee) card, who have less than $25 in outstanding overdue fees and no unpaid ILL overdue fees, and fewer than 5 current ILL loans may request ILL items.
What materials can I request?
Materials that can be requested:
- Print books not owned by a WLS member library
- Print books published more than 6 months ago
- Copies of articles
Materials that cannot be requested:
- AV materials (audiobooks, DVDs, VHS videos, CDs, games, etc.)
- Titles owned by a WLS member library
- Brand new titles
- Reference or otherwise non-circulating materials
- On-reserve textbooks
- Copies of entire items or portions of items protected by copyright
Are there restrictions on ILL items?
Generally, there are no restrictions for using ILL items. However, some lending institutions require materials to be used on-site at the library. If this is the case, you will be alerted to the use restriction, and you can cancel the request if you do not want to use the material in the library.Go to top
What does it cost?
WLS does not charge for ILL requests.
However, ILL loans kept overdue will accrue fines and lost materials replacement fees. Patrons must resolve all ILL-related fees before being able to place any further requests.
How do I request an ILL item?
You may place an ILL request in person at, or by phone or email to, any public library in Westchester County. You can submit your request online, using one of the following forms:
How many requests can I make?
Users are limited to five ILL loans at one time. If you have no current ILL loans you may place up to 5 requests at one time.
If a user has overdue ILL items, no additional requests will be accepted.
How do I get my items?
Requested materials will be delivered to the WLS library you select for pick up.
Borrowers must return the materials to the same library where they were checked out.Go to top
How long does it take to receive an item?
The average time to obtain the materials is one to four weeks; some materials may take longer to get. The time it takes usually depends on availability of the materials requested, location of and workflow at the owning institution, and the type of service used for delivery.
How can I get information about the status of my request?
Contact the library where you placed the request and ask them to check.Go to top
How do I know when my items are ready for pickup?
The library you selected to pick up the request will send out notifications.Go to top
How long can I borrow an item, are they renewable?
ILL materials generally have a 4-week lending period, depending on the lending institutions’ policies. Lending institutions may have shorter loan periods. The due date will be communicated at checkout.
Renewals depend on the owning institutions. Renewal requests MUST be submitted to your local library before the item is due and are not guaranteed.
RECALLS: ILL materials may be recalled by the owning institution at any time. In the event of a recall, you will be notified by your local library. The item must be returned to the checkout library, even if this is before your due date.
Will I get late fees if I don’t return an ILL on time?
ILL materials kept past the due date will accrue $2.00 per day overdue fines even if the checkout library does not otherwise charge fines.
Loans that are overdue for 30 days will be marked as lost automatically. At this point, an ILL loan will be charged a default fee of $300. Do not pay this fee, contact your library. When the item is returned, the $300 fee will be removed.Go to top
What happens if I lose an ILL item?
If you lose or damage an ILL item, you MUST contact your local library as soon as possible to begin the process to get an actual replacement charge. Actual ILL item replacement fees are determined by the owning institutions.
When staff manually mark a circulation lost, or it is automatically marked lost 30 days after the due date, the transaction will be billed $300.
Do NOT pay this bill. It will need to be adjusted according to the owning institutions instructions.Go to top
Can ILL privileges be revoked?
Yes, ILL borrowing privileges can be revoked if a user habitually keeps ILL items overdue or has lost ILL items.Go to top
Copyright notice
WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use”, that user may be liable for copyright infringement. Westchester Library System reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve the violation of copyright law.Go to top
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Services allows Westchester Library System patrons to obtain print materials, such as books and magazine articles, that are not owned by WLS libraries. Interlibrary Loan is a transaction in which the Westchester Library System borrows materials directly from another library on behalf of a patron, or another library borrows materials from a WLS member library on behalf of its patron.
Who can request interlibrary loans?
What materials can I request?
Are there restrictions on ILL items?
What does it cost?
How do I request an ILL item?
How many requests can I make?
How do I get my items?
How long does it take to receive an item?
How can I get information about the status of my request?
How do I know when my items are ready for pickup?
How long can I borrow an item, are they renewable?
Will I get late fees if I don’t return an ILL on time?
What happens if I lose an ILL item?
Can ILL privileges be revoked?
Copyright notice
Who can request interlibrary loans?
Adult (18+) patrons with a current, non-temporary WLS library card or non-resident (fee) card, who have less than $25 in outstanding overdue fees and no unpaid ILL overdue fees, and fewer than 5 current ILL loans may request ILL items.
What materials can I request?
Materials that can be requested:
- Print books not owned by a WLS member library
- Print books published more than 6 months ago
- Copies of articles
Materials that cannot be requested:
- AV materials (audiobooks, DVDs, VHS videos, CDs, games, etc.)
- Titles owned by a WLS member library
- Brand new titles
- Reference or otherwise non-circulating materials
- On-reserve textbooks
- Copies of entire items or portions of items protected by copyright
Are there restrictions on ILL items?
Generally, there are no restrictions for using ILL items. However, some lending institutions require materials to be used on-site at the library. If this is the case, you will be alerted to the use restriction, and you can cancel the request if you do not want to use the material in the library.Go to top
What does it cost?
WLS does not charge for ILL requests.
However, ILL loans kept overdue will accrue fines and lost materials replacement fees. Patrons must resolve all ILL-related fees before being able to place any further requests.
How do I request an ILL item?
You may place an ILL request in person at, or by phone or email to, any public library in Westchester County. You can submit your request online, using one of the following forms:
How many requests can I make?
Users are limited to five ILL loans at one time. If you have no current ILL loans you may place up to 5 requests at one time.
If a user has overdue ILL items, no additional requests will be accepted.
How do I get my items?
Requested materials will be delivered to the WLS library you select for pick up.
Borrowers must return the materials to the same library where they were checked out.Go to top
How long does it take to receive an item?
The average time to obtain the materials is one to four weeks; some materials may take longer to get. The time it takes usually depends on availability of the materials requested, location of and workflow at the owning institution, and the type of service used for delivery.
How can I get information about the status of my request?
Contact the library where you placed the request and ask them to check.Go to top
How do I know when my items are ready for pickup?
The library you selected to pick up the request will send out notifications.Go to top
How long can I borrow an item, are they renewable?
ILL materials generally have a 4-week lending period, depending on the lending institutions’ policies. Lending institutions may have shorter loan periods. The due date will be communicated at checkout.
Renewals depend on the owning institutions. Renewal requests MUST be submitted to your local library before the item is due and are not guaranteed.
RECALLS: ILL materials may be recalled by the owning institution at any time. In the event of a recall, you will be notified by your local library. The item must be returned to the checkout library, even if this is before your due date.
Will I get late fees if I don’t return an ILL on time?
ILL materials kept past the due date will accrue $2.00 per day overdue fines even if the checkout library does not otherwise charge fines.
Loans that are overdue for 30 days will be marked as lost automatically. At this point, an ILL loan will be charged a default fee of $300. Do not pay this fee, contact your library. When the item is returned, the $300 fee will be removed.Go to top
What happens if I lose an ILL item?
If you lose or damage an ILL item, you MUST contact your local library as soon as possible to begin the process to get an actual replacement charge. Actual ILL item replacement fees are determined by the owning institutions.
When staff manually mark a circulation lost, or it is automatically marked lost 30 days after the due date, the transaction will be billed $300.
Do NOT pay this bill. It will need to be adjusted according to the owning institutions instructions.Go to top
Can ILL privileges be revoked?
Yes, ILL borrowing privileges can be revoked if a user habitually keeps ILL items overdue or has lost ILL items.Go to top
Copyright notice
WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use”, that user may be liable for copyright infringement. Westchester Library System reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve the violation of copyright law.Go to top