The Chelmsford Library subscribes to the National Interlibrary Code and the American Library Association Standards and Recommen- dations for Interlibrary Loan.

Interlibrary loan service is essential to the vitality of libraries of all types and sizes as a means of greatly expanding the range of materials available to users. Lending between libraries is in the public
interest and should be encouraged. This code is intended to make interlibrary loan policies among those libraries adopting it as liberal and as easy to apply as possible. Interlibrary loan should serve as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, collection development. When resources within the region have been exhausted, loan requests to more distant libraries should then conform to the provisions of the National Interlibrary Loan Code, 1980.

A patron may request that the library borrow from another library materials which the Chelmsford Library does not own. The Library reserves the right to limit the number of requests per person and to deny the use of interlibrary loan to patrons who fail to collect requested material or who repeatedly return borrowed material late. Loans may be Network Transfers or Interlibrary Loans: A network transfer is an item provided by a library to a patron within the automated library system.

An interlibrary loan is a transaction in which library material, or a copy of the material, is made available by one library to another upon request.

The owning library always has the right of refusal, and may elect not to loan materials requested by another member library via ILL or SWH. The refusing library should notify the requesting library via e-mail.

Libraries should make requests only for on-shelf items. If all system copies are in circulation, a system-wide hold should be placed on the title.

Requests should be made using the LIBS100+ e-mail system.

Requests should include: A/T code, author, title, date of publication and owning library’s call number.

All libraries should make every attempt to respond to all requests within 24 hours. (Only “no” replies are necessary—except for Andover which needs both “yes” and “no” replies.) All materials should be included in the next delivery van pick-up.

Dial-up libraries may use e-mail to request items directly from any MVLC library following all established guidelines. Libraries with full-member status may use e-mail to request items directly from dial-up libraries. MVLC member libraries may request items directly from several other Massachusetts networks via e-mail, using the same policies and procedures used to request items from MVLC libraries.

Titles not found in the MVLC, NOBLE, Minuteman, Metro Boston, or OCLN databases may be requested from Andover, using the standard ALA forms.

Materials should be checked out to the requesting library.

Materials being shipped should be clearly labeled.

The borrowing library will check out the material, using the LIBS100+ system, to its patron, who then becomes responsible for overdue fines or loss or damage.

Overdue fines (up to $10.00) may be collected wherever the material is returned.

The pick-up point library may renew an item one time. Videos may not be renewed without permission from the owning library.

Libraries should make every effort to maintain intra-network resource sharing service except in extreme circumstances.

People who have access to the CLCAT database from their home computers may be calling to place reserves. Calls for reserves for on-shelf items made to the owning library when that library is not the patron’s home town library, should be accepted. A system-wide hold should be placed on the item; it should then immediately be checked in and forwarded to the pick-up point requested by the patron. As an added courtesy, include the patron’s name on the purple routing slip.