If you require a book or periodical article that Bowman Library does not own, you may want to use the Interlibrary Loan service to obtain the material from another library. This service is available to all full-time and adjunct faculty, students, and staff of Menlo College.

What is Available

Materials available through Interlibrary Loan include books and periodical articles. Periodical articles are usually supplied in photocopy format. However, it is generally not possible to borrow entire issues of periodicals.

We will not borrow materials that are owned by the Bowman Library, including electronic books (NetLibrary, etc.), unless our copy is missing. Please check ROSIE, the online catalog, carefully before filling out a request. If the item you are looking for is not on the shelves, you may wish to place a hold on the title. Please contact the Circulation Desk to place a hold. Due to copyright infringement guidelines, we may not request more than five articles from any journal title during a calendar year. The five articles are limited to those published within the last five years.

Filling out the Form

It is important that you supply as much information as possible. Incomplete forms will not be processed. When requesting periodical articles, please list the source of your citation, i.e., Proquest, Lexis-Nexis, etc. It is not necessary for you to locate the owning library, we will find locations as part of our service.

How long does it take?

We act on your request immediately. The request is sent by computer network to libraries throughout the United States. The response time from other libraries varies, as does the mailing time. We suggest allowing 2-3 weeks.

You will be notified when your interlibrary loan item arrives. It will be placed at the Circulation Desk for you to pick up.

Loan Period

The loan period for books is usually 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the due date that is set by the lending library. Photocopied material does not have to be returned.

Renewals

It is sometimes possible to request one renewal on a book borrowed through ILL. The paperwork accompanying the book will indicate if the item can or cannot be renewed. A renewal request will generally extend the due date by two weeks. However, requests for renewal must be submitted 7 days prior to the due date. We will not accept requests for renewal of items that are already overdue. Delays in returning book loans from other libraries may jeopardize future interlibrary loan borrowing privileges. Overdue fines and lost book fees will be assessed for ILL materials.

Returns

Borrowed materials should be returned on or before the due date to the Bowman Library Circulation Desk. Interlibrary loan materials should never be placed in any of the book drops. You are responsible for the item until it is physically returned to the Bowman Library Circulation Desk. Photocopies of requested articles do not need to be returned.

Fines

Fines accumulate at $0.10 per day after the due date, but may increase at the request of the lending library. Replacement fees accrue after the item has been overdue for one month. The Library assumes the book has been lost and will request that you pay for the cost of the item as well as the cost of processing its replacement.

How many can I submit?

Five per week.