Receiving an article

When the borrowing library requests an article from a magazine, journal, or newspaper, it receives a copy from the lending library that is to be given to the patron and does not have to be returned.  Most commonly, the lending library mails a photocopy of the article.  If the request is urgent, it may be faxed.  (Note: before asking for a rush, check the lending library’s policy to see if they offer this service and how much they charge.) 

If the article is from an electronic publication, it may be sent as an email attachment.  Some libraries now will scan in copies of articles and email them for delivery.  Often these email attachments are PDF files, which can easily be sent to the requesting patron or printed if a paper copy is desired.  Some libraries will also provide a web-based article delivery option, where the requesting library downloads or prints the article off an interlibrary loan web site provided by the loaning library.

When it arrives, look it up in the file of requests and check off that it has been received.  If the article is less than 5 years old, add it to the tally of ILL requests, to make sure that the borrowing library stays within copyright limits.  Make sure you know and understand the copyright requirements for ILL for your library.  If articles from the same magazine are requested often, the library should consider paying for a subscription.

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