| Q.
What is Interlibrary Loan?
A. Interlibrary loan, or "ILL", is a service we offer residents
of and employees in Bloomfield Township, Birmingham, Beverly Hills
and Bingham Farms. The Interlibrary Loan service will locate and
borrow books, which are not owned by BTPL and will acquire photocopies
of journal articles within copyright restrictions. Microfilms
are also available through "Interloan".
Q. What is MeLCat?
A. MeLCat is a new service linked
from our library catalog, that allows you to search and request
items in a joint catalog of many Michigan public and academic libraries.
Loans through MeLCat are available
to residents and employees in Bloomfield Township.
Q.
How much does it cost?
A. When requesting an ILL, there is no initial fee attached.
Any charges from the lending library are passed on to the patron.
We always try to obtain materials from libraries that do not charge
extra fees but sometimes that is not possible. Items requested
through MeLCat are FREE.
Q.
How can I make sure I will not be charged more for items than I
am willing to pay?
A. If you request an item through MeLCat, the are no charges
whatsoever. At the time you make a request for an ILL item,
you will be asked how much you are willing to pay if there is a
charged levied by the lending library. We will never exceed your
maximum amount without your prior authorization. As an example of
how high charges may be, average fees are between $10 and $25 per
item.
Q.
How do I make a request?
A. When searching for materials in our database, if you
find that we do not have something you need, choose the "Search
MeLCat" button to see if the item can be requested through MeLCat.
If you find the item you need within the MeLCat catalog,
you can make an immediate request by clicking on "REQUEST THIS ITEM."
Select BTPL as your home library, and enter your name and
library barcode number. You will be able to track the request
in your library record via "view your record."
If you cannot find the item, you can
request an item through interlibrary loan at the Adult Services
desk.
Q.
When requesting journal articles, what are the copyright restrictions
on interlibrary loan?
A. The copyright law states that repeated borrowing of a
particular book or many articles from a certain journal means that
it should be purchased, not borrowed. For periodicals, we are able
to request up to five articles from the last five years of a particular
journal without violating "fair use." We keep statistics on
ILL use and may find it necessary to refuse an ILL request due to
possible copyright violations.
Q.
Can I cancel a request at any time?
A. Yes, you can call the library at 248-642-5800 and ask
for the ILL department at ext. 153. You can also cancel your own
MeLCat requests by signing on to your library record through "view
your record." Items already in transit cannot be cancelled.
Q.
How long does a typical ILL request take to come in?
A. If an item is requested and available through another
library in MeLCat, it can be received in as little as 3 to 5 business
days. If for some reason, an item is not available in MeLCat, then
it is necessary to search other Michigan libraries as well as out
of state. Once we are informed by one of these libraries that an
item is available and will be sent, it can take 2 to 4 weeks for
BTPL to receive it. Once and item is received and processed, you
will be notified that the item is available for pick-up.
Q.
What if I need something right away?
A. Librarians at the Adult or Youth Services desk may be
able to direct you to a library nearby that may have the materials
that you need.
Q.
What items may not be requested?
A. Most libraries will not lend entire periodicals, rare
or fragile materials, reference books or any Audio Visual materials.
This includes most genealogical materials. Newly published books
may be difficult to borrow. Q.
How do I renew a MeLCat Item?
A. If you have borrowed an item via MeLCat, you can renew the item
one of two ways:
1. Go to our website at www.btpl.org
to renew the item. Click on "view your record". After entering
your name and library card barcode number, click on "display record
for person named above". Select the item to be renewed and click
on "renew selected items".
2. You may renew some MeLCat items
by telephone, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week by calling 248-593-4919
with a touch tone phone. Be sure to have on hand your library
card and bar code numbers of the items you wish to renew. The
bar code number is found on the inside of the book. In a few moments,
your item will be renewed and the system will tell you your new
due date.
There is no guarantee that an MeLCat
item will be renewed. The owning library of the item sent via MeLCat
sets the renewal policy.
Q.
How do I renew an ILL item?
A. To renew an ILL item, call the library at 248-642-5800, ext.
153 five business days before the item is due. A one time renewal
of interlibrary loan materials are granted at the discretion of
the lending library.
CONTACTING
US
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding interlibrary
loan, send a message to btplill@btpl.org
call us at 248-642-5800 during normal library hours, and ask for
the Circulation desk.
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