Cayan Library
ILL Rules
Who can request material through interlibrary loan?
SUNYIT students, staff and faculty may request material through interlibrary loan (ILL). However, interlibrary loan is a privilege, not a right: if you abuse your interlibrary loan privileges they will be suspended.
Empire State College students registered with SUNYIT are also allowed to request material through interlibrary loan. Please contact Ron Foster, information below, if you are an Empire State student.
Is there a charge to order?
Most requests are filled for free. Sometimes there is a charge if the only library willing to lend the item charges; we always check with you first to see if you're willing to pay.
Can I order material the library owns?
Except for Document Delivery, please do not request through interlibrary loan material the library owns. Please check the library catalog before you request a book, and please check both the List of E-journals and the List of Print Journals before you request articles. Interlibrary loan requests for material we own will be canceled.
If you request two items the library owns then any other requests you have submitted with those two will be canceled, so you may check the canceled requests to see if we really own them. You will then need to re-submit any real requests.
Can I order textbooks?
Yes, you can order whatever you want; however, here are some points you should consider:
- there is no guarantee you will get the book you request, and you may not know that for a week or more;
- most interlibrary loan books are loaned for only three weeks, much less than a whole semester;
- at most, interlibrary loan books can be renewed only one time;
- the decision to allow a renewal is made by the library that owns the book, and there is no guarantee a book can be renewed;
- even with one renewal, you might have the book for only half the semester;
- it is illegal to photocopy most of or a whole book;
- it is more difficult to borrow books that are brand new, which is exactly what you're trying to do when you request a new textbook;
- supplies are limited, and demand for the same textbook can be high.
Can I order items from Dissertation Abstracts?
No. Requests for items from Dissertation Abstracts will be canceled unless you provide information in the Notes field on why you need this information. This action is taken because almost all requests for material from Dissertation Abstracts are unintentional patron mistakes, i.e., people do not realize they are requesting just a one-page summary of a dissertation when most people already have such a summary.
Can I order material in a foreign language?
Most requests for non-English materials are unintentional patron mistakes, so the library usually cancels such requests. If you really need non-English material, please contact Ron Foster, information below, before you make your request.
Is there a limit to the number of requests I can make?
You may request 10 items per day. If you submit more than 10 requests in one day then your requests will be processed in groups of 10, 10 per day. There is no other limit on the amount of material you may request except Copyright Law, explained below.
How long may I keep items?
Journal articles do not need to be returned. All other items must be returned by the date chosen by the lending library; most books are usually due back in 3 weeks. Check the slip that comes with your book.
Can an item be recalled?
Yes, a lending library has the right to recall its item at any time. If you get a recall notice, you must return the book immediately.
Can I renew items?
Yes, one renewal may be possible, but this decision is at the discretion of the lending library.
What happens if I lose or damage an interlibrary loan?
You are solely responsible for all fees and fines if you lose or damage an interlibrary loan.
Do I have to use e-mail?
Definitely. Important messages about your interlibrary loan activities -- e.g., to pick up material, to return overdue material, etc. -- are sent to you via e-mail. The consequences of failing to respond to such messages falls on the person to whom the messages were sent. Specifically, the library is not responsible to users who do not check their e-mail.
Why is being able to reach me such a big deal?
First, when you borrow another library's book through interlibrary loan, our library assumes financial responsibility for that book: if you do not return it then our library pays the bill first and recovers the costs from you later. So the library takes on financial and fiduciary responsibilities when you borrow interlibrary loan books, and we need to be able to contact you to meet those responsibilities. Second, in general, filling interlibrary loan requests uses resources, and sometimes we need to communicate with you in order to make the best use of limited funds and staff time. Finally, presumably the material you have requested is important to you, and it is sometimes necessary to inform you about the unavailability of an item; the sooner we can do that, the sooner you can start looking for an alternative resource.
Copyright restrictions
Libraries are able to provide journal articles to their users because the copyright law makes provision for "fair use" of published materials. There are restrictions, however. Libraries are not permitted to request for free more than 5 articles in a calendar year from a single journal title for its last five years of publication unless we have a subscription to that title.
This institution reserves the right to refuse a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would violate copyright law.
Why was my request canceled or unfilled?
There are many reasons requests are not completed, for example:
- Our library owns the item. We do not request items we own, even if they are checked out. A hold may be placed on the item at the Circulation Desk (315 792-7246).
- You submitted incomplete or inaccurate information in your request.
- The item is too new for any library to consider lending it: their patrons get priority access to their material.
- You requested material that is in a language other than English.
- No free lender can be found.
- The item exceeds copyright limits.
For requests that cannot be filled, please see a librarian for the nearest location of the item or for help in locating alternative resources. If your request was canceled and you would like to discuss the matter, please contact Ron Foster.
Why is my account blocked?
Your account will be blocked from entering new requests for different reasons, for example:
- The phone number listed in your account does not work.
- You have not responded to important notices sent to you via e-mail.
- You have interlibrary loan material that is severely, i.e., more than a week, overdue.
If you have questions about your account being blocked, please contact Ron Foster.
For more information, please contact:
Ron Foster,
Associate Librarian
(315) 792-7318
Rev.: 8/2009