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Edens Library Interlibrary Loan Policy

Interlibrary loans are intended to aid faculty, students, and staff in obtaining material for their research work. Through Interlibrary Loan, students, faculty, and staff at Columbia College may borrow materials not available at the Edens Library from other libraries in the state, region, and country.
  • Article Request Form
  • Book Request



  • For questions or comments concerning Interlibrary Loan,
    contact the Interlibrary Loan Manager.
    (Phone: (803) 786-3878 or email: gdempsey@columbiasc.edu)

    Notice: Warning concerning copyright restrictions.The Copyright law of the U.S. (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 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.

    This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

    Who can use Interlibrary Loan?

    Any enrolled student, faculty or staff member may request materials through Interlibrary Loan. Interlibrary Loan is a service not a right.

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    When should Interlibrary Loan be used?

    Faculty and Staff:
    Edens Library recognizes its collection may not be adequate to support research by faculty members. Requests by faculty members are checked against the Library Catalog as well as the PASCAL Delivers Catalog, and then processed.
    Students:
    Students are encouraged to take advantage of materials presently held by Edens Library whenever possible. It is the recognized responsibility of the library to provide a thorough and well-balanced collection that will meet the information and research needs of all students. When a student's information or research need cannot be met by the present collection, the student may borrow materials from other libraries.

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    What items can be borrowed?

    Items that can be requested:
    1. Circulating books (not with current year publication) that are not otherwise available through PASCAL Delivers. Books that can be obtained from a South Carolina Academic Library should be requested through PASCAL Delivers (What's this?)
    2. Photoduplications of articles from periodicals and excerpts or sections from non-circulating books
    Items that cannot be requested:
    1. Bound volumes or unbound issues of periodicals
    2. Any materials classified as Media (videocassettes, audiocassettes, phonograph records, CDs, DVDs, textbooks, and other learning materials or aids)
    3. Rare items (owned by less than five other libraries)
    4. Duplicates of titles already owned
    5. Popular fiction or items in high demand
    6. Materials on reserve or currently in class use
    7. Genealogical materials
    8. Reference works
    9. Items published or acquired within the calendar year
    10. Musical scores

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    How long does it take to receive an item?

    Articles
    The amount of time it takes to fulfill an Interlibrary Loan is entirely up to the lending library. Most libraries fill requests quickly, but larger libraries receive so many requests a day that the response time is slow. ALLOW FOR AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE -- AT LEAST ONE WEEK TO TEN DAYS.

    Books
    Books requested through Interlibrary Loan should arrive in approximately a week to a week-and-a-half. (Books requested via PASCAL Delivers should arrive within a few business days. Click here for more details.)

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    What is the procedure for requesting Interlibrary Loan service?

    Students:
    1. An Interlibrary Loan Request form must be filled out for each individual article or book request. To request a journal, magazine, or newspaper article, use the article form. To request a book, use the book form.
    2. Attach a copy of the citation if possible.
    3. A maximum of three requests will be placed at one time.
    4. Indicate the amount you are willing to pay for each request. Although this is usually a free service, the requestor is responsible for any costs imposed by the lending library.
    5. Indicate a specific date by which the item is needed.
    6. While photocopied items are yours to keep, the borrowed book(s) must be returned to the Circulation desk on or before the date indicated on the jacket cover.
    7. There are no renewals.
    Faculty and Staff:
    1. An Interlibrary Loan Request form must be filled out for each individual article or book request. To request a journal, magazine, or newspaper article, use the article form. To request a book, use the book form.
    2. Attach a copy of the citation if possible.
    3. A maximum of five requests will be placed at one time.
    4. Indicate the amount that you or your department are willing to pay for each request. Although this is usually a free service, the requestor is responsible for any costs imposed by the lending library.
    5. Indicate a specific date by which the item is needed.
    6. While photocopied items are yours to keep, the borrowed book(s) must be returned to the Circulation desk on or before the date indicated on the jacket cover.
    7. Renewals are requested only under special circumstances.

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    Is there a cost for using Interlibrary Loan?

    While this is usually a free service, the requestor is responsible for any costs imposed by the lending library. Many libraries charge a service fee in addition to fees for photoduplication. Service fees are usually $5.00 - $20.00.

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    How long can I keep an Interlibrary Loan item?

    Photocopied items are yours to keep.

    The lending library sets due dates for books. Edens Library must comply with these dates; otherwise, the lending library may refuse to lend items to the library in the future.


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    Lost or damaged material

    It is the responsibility of the patron to pay for any items that are lost or damaged. The borrowed item becomes the responsibility of the borrower once the lending library has placed it in the mail.

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    Abuse of privileges

    Any patron who abuses Interlibrary Loan privileges will not be allowed to use the service in the future.

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    Page last modified by Sarah Hood: 9/3/08
    [Columbia College]
    [Edens Library, Columbia South Carolina]