Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Policy

Regarding policies, we are glad to review them with you if you have questions or concerns. We may be reached at 817-272-3344 or library-ill@listserv.uta.edu or you may visit us in Room B29 in the Basement of the Central Library. Our hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Patron’s Responsibilities – It is the patron’s responsibility to:

  • ​Complete request forms as much as possible. Insert information about desired materials into the correct fields on the request form. Failure to insert information into the correct fields may delay the ordering process or be canceled. Requests may be resubmitted with corrected information. Materials with incomplete, incorrect or missing information, will be canceled and a notification sent to the requester via email.
  • Checkout or review the material that has been received and return borrowed material in the same condition in which it was received. Abuse of the service by intentionally damaging borrowed material or ordering large numbers of materials which are not checked out or reviewed may be assessed charges and have their account blocked.
  • Return the item by the due date or renew the item if allowed. Failure to return items when due or recalled may be assessed charges and have their account blocked. 
  • Take care of borrowed materials. Materials damaged (i.e.: highlighting, underlining, writing in the margins, etc.) while in the borrower's possession may be assessed charges and have their account blocked.
  • Pay any overdue fines, lost book fees, damage charges or processing fees.
  • Comply with the copyright law.

Block for Non-Return – With the 3rd overdue notice (usually 14 days after the due date) the patron is prohibited from further Interlibrary Loan activity until the item is returned.

Bill for Non-Return – When an ILL item becomes 25 days* overdue, along with being charged overdue fines, the patron will be charged for the replacement of the material. That charge will be the replacement cost as assessed by the lending library; or, if we have not yet received an invoice, the replacement charge will be $200 and will be charged to the patron’s UTA account. Should the invoice received not match the $200 billed, the patron’s account will be credited or debited for the difference. *Billing may occur sooner than the 25 day period if we are approaching the end of the semester. (See also Replacement Charges.)

Checked Out Books – We will order items through interlibrary loan that are checked out from UTA’s collection. It is nice if you put a note that the item is checked out with your ILL request – this will save us some time in the search process.

Confidentiality – We strive to keep our patrons’ transaction information private and do not share it with others.

Copyright – It is our policy to follow copyright laws and guidelines: Title 17 U.S. Code.

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.

Cost Limits – Sometimes there is a fee associated with filling an interlibrary loan request. Therefore, there is a set limit on how much we can spend based on the requester’s status. Please see Fees/Sanctions

Customer Service – It is our desire to provide the best customer support that we can. While we do not have a service desk, we welcome visitors to our area in B29 in the Central Library if help is needed. We are available 8-5 Monday through Friday and can be reached by phone - 817-272-3344 - or email library-ill@listserv.uta.edu. We attempt to respond promptly to communications via phone or email.

Damaged Materials – It is our goal to return items in the condition in which they are received; therefore, we carefully examine materials upon receipt and note any condition problems in our records. If the item comes back to us in worse shape than received, the customer may be held accountable. Damage includes but is not limited to: writing in or on the material, highlighting, bending or tearing pages, breakage, heat or liquid damage. Fees can be in excess $200.00.

Delivery of Materials – Faculty will have their ILL materials delivered to their campus department unless otherwise specified. PhD students have to notify ILL staff if they want materials delivered; however, they must have a mail box in their department and the department staff have to be willing to accept our deliveries. All other patrons must pick up their ILL materials at the service desk of their chosen library; we are happy to direct undergraduates and staff to the materials in our collections that they request.

Due Date – The due date is set by the Lending Library. It is our policy to hold on to material that has not been picked up until its due date. Once the due date is hit, the material will go back to the lending library. Patrons that have ILL materials checked out are expected to return their materials on the date indicated on the strap attached to the item. A reminder notice is sent out when the item is almost due and up to 3 overdue notices are sent when the item is overdue. With the 3rd overdue notice the patron will be blocked from ILL use until the item is returned.

Duplicate Article Requests – Duplicate article requests will be cancelled. Copyright fees for duplicate requests combined with lending fees can exceed $50.00 per item. In the case there are extenuating circumstances, contact the ILL office.

Eligibility for Service Currently enrolled UTA students and currently employed UTA faculty and staff may use Interlibrary Loan. Visiting scholars and visiting faculty must have a letter on file from their department in UES.

ILL Circulation Policies – The library that lends us the item sets the loan period and whether it can be renewed or if the item has to remain in the UTA Libraries during use.

ILL Renewals The lending library determines if a renewal is allowed or not and what the new due date will be. Usually there will be a note on the book strap if no renewal is allowed. Patrons may request a renewal by contacting the Interlibrary Loan Office or by accessing their account through ILLiad. If allowed, the limit is 1 renewal on an ILL.

International Students and Loans – Materials borrowed from other libraries may be sent to current UTA affiliates working overseas. The patron is responsible for returning the material by its due date and for returning the material in the same condition in which it was sent. Items that go past their due date are subject to a $1.00 (USD) per day late fee. Any damage, loss or late fees will be charged to the patron’s institutional account.

Library Use Only – If an ILL item is designated as “Library Use Only’ it must be used in the Central Library and cannot be checked out of the building. The patron has to return the item to the service desk each day they use the material. When they are done with the item, the patron is expected to inform the service desk staff so that it may be returned to the lending library. Once the due date is reached on the ILL Item, it will be pulled from the shelf and returned to the lender.

Lost Book Charges see Replacement Charges.

Overdue fines Patrons are expected to honor the due date of the materials they have borrowed. Interlibrary Loan charges $1 a day in overdue fines. The maximum overdue charge per title is $25. Overdue fines are assessed at the time the material is returned or when it is billed to lost. Charges are billed to the patron’s UTA account.

Patron’s Responsibilities It is the patron’s responsibility to pick up and use the materials they have ordered and to return the materials in the condition in which it was received. The patron is responsible for returning the item by the due date or renewing the item if allowed. Any overdue fines, lost book fees, damage charges or processing fees are the responsibility of the patron.

Recalls - All borrowed material is subject to recall at any time based on the Lending Library’s wishes. When an item is recalled, the patron is expected to comply with that request. In most cases, we can try to borrow another copy from a different library should the patron still need the material.

Replacement Charges – If an ILL Item is lost or damaged while in the patron’s possession, the patron is expected to pay the library for its replacement or repair. Due to the length of time involved in obtaining an invoice from the lending institution, the initial charge posted to the users account may be as high as $200. When the actual fee amount is received from the Lending Library, the fee amount will be adjusted on the patron’s account. Library charges are billed to the patron’s university account. (See also Bill for Non-Return.)

Note: There may also be a processing fee included in the charges. Payment of all fees is the responsibility of the patron.

Request Status – To find out the status of your request go to Interlibrary Loan Online. Log in using your NetID and password. Under "View" on the left navigation bar, select "Outstanding Requests". Click on the transaction number of the one you are interested in and scroll to the bottom of the page to see the request tracking.

Returning Materials - Materials are due on the due date listed on the item and the ILLiad account. This also applies to materials shipped to Distance Education Students Returnable items shipped to these include an addressed prepaid return label. Some materials may be renewed. If materials are not returned sanctions may be assessed to the account the item is checked out to. (See Overdue Fines and Replacement Charges)

Textbooks – Interlibrary Loan will not borrow textbooks and related course materials that are available from the UTA Bookstore or from an online vendor. The library is unable to borrow required class textbooks via Interlibrary Loan because:

  • Purchasing textbooks is part of normal college expenses, along with paying tuition and dorm/rental expenses and buying school supplies, a parking pass, and a meal plan.
  • Some textbooks, lab manuals, and course packs are created especially for and used only by the University of Texas at Arlington, so they are not available anywhere else.
  • Some textbooks have online registrations associated with them as part of the use that is only available one time and that use is normally expired on borrowed textbooks.
  • Few libraries purchase textbooks.
  • Even fewer libraries have the newest editions because as soon as they are printed or made available, they are required for use by professors, and circulating copies are immediately checked out.
  • Of those libraries that do purchase textbooks, the textbook collection is usually placed on course reserves for their campus-use only and are not loaned to other libraries.
  • It takes longer to get textbooks because requests usually have to be sent to multiple locations, while attempting to find a lending location, which makes it take even longer.
  • Once a location is found, books usually take one-two weeks to arrive, so students would already be far behind in their coursework and readings by the time the item arrives.
  • Textbook due dates, borrowed through ILL, are normally three to four weeks, not a semester.
  • Loan due dates are set by the lending library, not University of Texas at Arlington Libraries or ILL.
  • Renewals are not always allowed by the lending library.
  • When a renewal is allowed, it usually is only allowed once for a brief extension of between one to four weeks. Again, this is set by the lending library.
  • Interlibrary Loans are subject to immediate recall by the lending library. So you might only have it for a week before the lending library requests it be returned. Why? Because the book belongs to the lending library, not to the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries or to you, so the lending library has the right to recall it for use by one of its own patrons at any time.
  • Many times it takes so long, borrowers end up purchasing a copy. The item may have already been shipped by the time ILL is notified, if they are notified at all. This can result in the library having to pay borrowing fees for materials that are not even used in addition to shipping and handling costs, reducing the budget and funds which could have been used for other requests.

Failure to return textbooks when due can lead to:

  • Your account being assessed charges sent by the lending library which could be the full cost of the book PLUS a processing fee.
  • Your access to Interlibrary Loan privileges being suspended until the item is returned and/or any fees charged by the lending library are paid.
  • Your grades, class registration, transcripts, and graduation being blocked until the item is returned and/or any fees charged by the lending library are paid.
  • The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries being blocked from borrowing anything again from that library.
  • Although interlibrary loans do not cost you anything, they cost the library around $15-30 per request. These costs are absorbed by the Libraries and costs can be prohibitive.

Turnaround Time – We strive to order new ILL requests within one (1) working day. Requests for copies average 3-4 days and books average 8-10 days to arrive. We choose suppliers that provide the fastest and least expensive ILL service.

What ILL Will Order – Our policy is to borrow things that are not available in our library; we do not order materials available in the UTA Libraries unless they are lost, missing, checked out, or being repaired. We do not borrow course textbooks and we do not borrow material for the purpose of being placed on Reserve.