Inter-Library Loan Borrowing Policies
The ILL Office is open weekdays 8.00 am to 5.00 pm.
Phone: 410-651-6609 (with voice mail)
Email: illbox@umes.edu
Fax: 410-651-7597
The Inter-Library Loan Office at Frederick Douglass Library (FDL) primarily serves the faculty, students and staff at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). These services are provided only when instructional, research and scholarly materials are not available physically or electronically in the library or through the USMAI library consortium.
Who can use the Inter-library Loan service?
The Inter-Library Loan service is available to current UMES faculty, students and staff. Patrons must register their campus ID at the Circulation Desk.
What can be ordered on Inter-library Loan?
Patrons may request books, articles, reports, book chapters, conference papers, videos and sound recordings. The availability of items and the length of the loan periods depend on the policies of the lending library. For example, corporate technical reports, theses, and dissertations may be difficult to borrow.
How to submit ILL Requests
Before placing a request, check Primo OneSearch not only for books held by UMES and the USMAI library consortium (where an Inter-Campus Loan can be requested), but also e-resource coverage for online books and journals.
Submit all requests through ILLiad by following these steps:
- Log on to ILLiad
- Enter your barcode number which begins with “21431” and your last name
- If you are using ILLiad for the first time the system will prompt you to register
- From the main menu of your account, select the form that is appropriate for the type of request you want to make
- Complete one request form for each item that you need
- Complete the form as accurately as possible
- If a journal title is abbreviated type it as is, do not guess the full title
- Include the source of the citation in case additional information is needed to fill the request
- Click on the “submit” button to send your request
- You are allowed to submit up to 20 requests at any one time
- Be sure to close all browser windows when you are done using ILLiad, so that the system will log you out.
U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17) governs photocopies made by a library on behalf of a patron. There are limitations on the length of copies and the number of articles per journal that can be copied. Please consult the Access Services Librarian for details or see the copyright warning at the bottom of this page.
Requests may be denied if:
- Your request for a photocopy would break U.S. Copyright Law
- You are not a borrower in good standing at FDL
Requests may not be filled if:
- We are unable to identify or locate the item
- The deadline by which you need the material is less than two weeks
- You are unwilling to pay the costs associated with borrowing or copying the item
How long does it take to receive requests?
Generally it takes about one to two days for FDL to receive photocopy requests received electronically. Most books arrive within 2-3 weeks depending on availability and location. Patrons are therefore advised to submit requests at least three weeks before their own deadlines.
How much does ILL cost?
Frederick Douglass Library does not charge patrons for Inter-Library Loan services. However, some libraries do charge for borrowing and photocopying. You will be contacted if there is a fee for an item you have requested. Patrons who are willing to pay the fees must complete the ILL Agreement Form and send it to the Inter-Library Loan Office. Payment will be made when the item is ready for pick up; and it can be in cash, by check payable to Frederick Douglass Library or from a departmental or grant account.
Where do I pick up items supplied on Inter-Library Loan?
- Patrons are notified by email when an item is ready for pick-up or if there are any problems with fulfilling a request.
- Books are picked up in the library at the service desk.
- Articles are made available via pdf through patron ILLiad accounts where they will reside for 30 days. Patrons are encouraged to download and save the articles to avoid losing them after the 30-day expiration.
Loan Period
- Loan periods and restrictions are determined by the lending library; in most cases the loan period is three weeks.
- The due date appears on the sleeve that is attached to the borrowed materials.
- Renewals may be requested through your ILLiad account unless the lender has specifically indicated that the item cannot be renewed.
- Requests for renewal must be made five days in advance of the item’s due date.
- Libraries that lend materials reserve the right to recall items at any time for their users. You must therefore be prepared to return the item as soon as possible.
- If the renewal is not granted, you may request the title again, but the original item must be returned to FDL before a second copy will be checked out to you.
Returning Borrowed Material
All items borrowed through Inter-Library Loan must be returned to the library by the due date. Patrons who ignore due dates will have their borrowing privileges cancelled. In addition, patrons will be responsible for paying any fines charged by the lending institution for overdue and lost materials.
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 materials.
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.
This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
By submitting an Inter-Library Loan request, you agree to abide by these copyright restrictions.
