WHAT IS AN INTERLIBRARY LOAN?

An Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is initiated when the patron wants a specific book or magazine article and does not want any substitutions.  He must have that particular item and nothing else will fill his needs. Book and article citations should be complete and/or accurate enough for any library clerk to locate the item easily; for example:

•   Grisham, John.  The Testament, 1999, large print edition

• “HMOs and medical malpractice,” Consumers’ Research Magazine, Oct. 1998, pp10-17.

   WHAT IS A REFERENCE QUESTION OR A SUBJECT REQUEST?

A subject request is another term for a reference question, and is initiated when a patron needs information on a topic or wants the answer to a specific question but does not need to have the answer from a specific source.

Many times the dividing line between an ILL and a reference question can be vague.  The following examples will give you an idea of when an ILL is really a reference request:

  When you know that although the patron has requested a specific title, they have a specific question they are trying to answer and think the answer is in that specific source.

  A student working on a research paper needs any ten sources

  When the patron has only sketchy information about an item he wants, i.e. patron knows the title of the article or the magazine he wants, but doesn’t know the date of the issue.

More information about submitting reference requests to the ILS Reference Center can be found in the ILS Reference Services Manual.

ILS HomePage | Manual - MainPage | Manual - ILL Procedures

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Last update November 17, 2005