Resource Sharing: Frequently Asked Questions

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WHAT KIND OF MATERIALS CAN BE OBTAINED THROUGH ILL?

Almost anything except rare books.

IS THERE A CHARGE FOR ILL SERVICE?

No. However, occasionally the only library which owns the materials has a fee for lending it. If that is the case, you will be notified. You can let us know if your library or the patron requesting the material is willing to pay the charge.

HOW DOES SEKLS LOCATE AND OBTAIN ITEMS FROM OUT OF STATE?

Through OCLC (OnlineComputerLibraryCenter), a national bibliographic database. Items that are newer than 6-months may be restricted. We will notify if we are unable to locate or fill a request.

ARE ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH OCLC HANDLED DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER MATERIALS?

Return these items to SEKLS. We will send them back to the library from which you borrowed them. The borrowing record is on our ShareIt or OCLC accounts, so we must update these record when the books are returned.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO OBTAIN MATERIALS ON ILL?

It varies. If SEKLS or Iola Public Library owns the needed material and the item is on the shelf, you will generally have it within 3 days. Items we request from elsewhere may take anywhere from 3 days on up. Most often, materials will be received within a week. When all sources have been exhausted, we will notify you by email that we are unable to obtain the materials for you.

WHAT IS THE LOAN PERIOD?

The loan period is the length of time you can keep the material after it arrives in your library. For items supplied by SEKLS, videos and genealogy materials are loaned for 1 week. Most other items are loaned for 3 weeks, but you may have a shorter period for books in high demand.
For items supplied by other libraries, the loan period will vary.

HOW MANY ITEMS MAY I REQUEST AT ONE TIME?

There is no limit. However, if one individual is requesting a large amount, you may want to caution them not to ask for more than they can use and return within the loan period.

WHAT HAPPENS IF AN ITEM IS LOST OR DESTROYED?

Call the loaning library for the cost of the book and any other charges. Pursue it just as you would one of your own books that the patron lost or destroyed and remit the money collected to the loaning library. If you are unable to obtain payment for the item, your library will need to reimburse the loaning library. There is a materials replacement fund administered by the Kansas Library Network Board which may help you pay for this for loans within the state. The claim must be submitted by the borrowing library. A copy of this form is at the end of this section of the handbook.

WHAT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DOES SEKLS HAVE TO OFFER THROUGH INTERLIBRARY LOAN?

We have several special needs collections, including BiFolkal reminiscing kits, recreation therapy aids, Descriptive Video Service (DVS) videos, and Braille/print/picture books. For more information, see Special Needs. Bibliographies of these materials are available on the SEKLS web site.
A professional collection of books, videos, and periodicals is maintained. There is a bibliography available for this collection.
Childrens kits are also available, see the Youth Services section for more information.

More about our Professional Collections and Kits

WHAT OTHER BIBLIOGRAPHIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM SEKLS?

Besides the BiFolkal and professional collection bibliographies, SEKLS maintains bibliographies of videos, audio cassettes, and CDs which are available from Iola. A genealogy bibliography which includes items not only from Iola but also from several other SEK libraries is also available. Because of the expense of printing and maintaining this, we give only one copy per library. These bibliographies are on a table for you to pick up at System meetings, or you may request a copy at any time from the ILL Department (for the genealogy bibliography, contact Kim Burns).

IS IT WORTH MY TIME TO REQUEST NEW MATERIALS IN HIGH DEMAND?

Yes. Because SEKLS collects specifically to meet ILL demand, most bestsellers are available on ILL. Sometimes there may be a waiting list.

MY LIBRARY HAS THE KANSAS LIBRARY CATALOG AND SHAREIT. DO I NEED TO TRY OBTAINING ITEMS THROUGH SEKLS FIRST?

No. You should handle ILL requests in whatever manner seems likely to result in the quickest service to your patron. In general, that means making a request via SHAREIT directly to libraries which own a needed item. There are some times when you will find it beneficial to send requests to SEKLS as a first choice.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE TIMES?

If the KLC shows Iola or SEKLS owning a book, sending the request here will keep some of the ILL burden off of other libraries and assure your of a quick response time. You will probably find it beneficial to send requests for newly published items, particularly high demand items, to SEKLS as your first choice. We are generally able to find newly published items before they show up on the KLC, and as noted earlier, we collect specifically to meet ILL demand. Subject and reference requests should be submitted directly to SEKLS. And, of course, any item you can’t locate or obtain through using the KLC and KICnet can be sent to SEKLS.

ARE THERE COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ON PHOTOCOPY REQUESTS?

Yes. National guidelines apply to periodicals published with the last five years. During a calendar year, no more than five copies may be requested and reproduced from any single periodical title (not single issue). If you currently subscribe to the periodical you are requesting a photocopy from, or if you own the copy but the article of issue you need is missing, you do not have to count that against the limit of five. The borrowing library is responsible for maintaining records of all such requests for three years after the conclusion of the calendar year during which the requests were made. A sample photocopy request record sheet is included in the manual for your use.
No precise guidelines exist for periodicals more than five years old. The copyright law still applies, as does the concept of fair use.
When making an ILL photocopy request, be sure that the request complies with the copyright guidelines (CCG) if less than five years old or with copyright law (CCL) if more five years old, and mark the appropriate box on the request form.

WHAT OTHER COPYRIGHT ISSUES AFFECT INTERLIBRARY LOAN?

A relatively complete overview of copyright would require a book — and we have several books you could borrow. We’ll just mention two more copyright issues currently affecting ILL. First, any photocopy you receive must become the property of the patron who requested it; you may not keep it for your vertical file. Second, unless they have public performance rights, videos are licensed for home use only and may not be shown to most groups (the face-to-face teaching exemption is the exception). While libraries are not responsible for policing how patrons make use of videos, if someone asks you for a video to show to a group, you need to inform them that this is not an allowable use of videos. SEKLS’s policy on videos is included at the end of the ILL section.

HOW ARE ITEMS BORROWED ON ILL DELIVERED?

SEKLS ships most items by the Courier Service, with some items still being shipped via the U.S. Postal Service. Because of the heavy staff time involved, photocopies are not normally faxed, but in an emergency situation we could accommodate a request to fax an article.

MAY WE CHARGE FEES TO PATRONS FOR ILL SERVICE?

If you charge patrons for postage or other ILL costs, your incoming ILLs cannot be counted when determining what your Materials Delivery Grant will be. (See Grants, Section 10, Page 3)
We urge you to regard ILL as part of the basic cost of doing business as a library. However, libraries which charge ILL fees have not violated any law or policy.

CAN PATRONS OR STUDENTS FILL OUT THE ILL FORMS THAT WE SEND TO SEKLS?

Yes, but please check for both legibility and accuracy before sending them to us. In particular, students often leave out vital information such as date of magazine, page numbers, etc. Such requests may be returned to you.

CAN INDIVIDUALS CHECK OUT INTERLIBRARY LOAN BOOKS DIRECTLY FROM IOLA?

Not unless the librarian sends written authorization for this to happen. Library staff or board members who happen to be in Iola can check out books on ILL while here, of course, but everyone else should either go through regular ILL channels, have written authorization from the librarian, or get their own library card from Iola Public Library.