2.4 Interlibrary Loan/Network Transfer

The Chelmsford Library subscribes to the American Library Association’s Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States.

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, 2008.

Loans may be network transfers, virtual catalog requests or Interlibrary Loans.  A network transfer is an item provided by the MVLC consortium. A virtual catalog request is provided by other Massachusetts networks or obtained out of state. An interlibrary loan is a transaction in which library material is made available by one library to another upon request.

The Library provides a variety of loan options:

Network Transfers – books, movies, magazines, audiobooks, and other physical items, requested through the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium catalog.
Patrons can search for and request items by starting at http://catalog.chelmsfordlibrary.org (you’ll need your library card barcode and PIN)

Virtual Catalog Requests – books, movies, magazines, audiobooks, and other physical items, requested through the state-wide Virtual Catalog.
Patrons can search for and request items by starting at http://chelmsford.mvlc.org/opac/en-US/skin/default/xml/massvc.xml or by clicking the Virtual Catalog link at the top of the MVLC catalog page (you’ll need your library card barcode)

Mediated Interlibrary Loans – books, movies, magazines, audiobooks, and other physical items, requested from libraries outside Massachusetts.
Library staff can search outside the state for the item and request it on your behalf. Contact the Reference Desk staff to place a request, or the Interlibrary Loan staff (978-256-5521 x120 or icd@mvlc.org) to check on a request.Non-Chelmsford residents will be charged $5.00 (non-refundable) for this service, so check with your home library to see if they will request it free. Cash or checks will be accepted – please make checks payable to Chelmsford Library Gift Book Fund.

Article Requests – articles from magazines, journals, or other sources.
Many of these articles are available in our research databases, which patrons can search through our website in the library or at home (with your library card barcode). If you cannot locate the article, Reference Desk staff can request it through the Boston Public Library on your behalf and email it to you when it arrives (there will be a $0.15/page fee to print).

2.4-1 Guidelines For Network Transfers and Interlibrary Loans

MVLC and Virtual Catalog requests will be placed by (or on behalf of) patrons directly into the MVLC or Virtual Catalog systems. Patrons will be notified by email or phone when the requested item is available for pickup, or if there is a problem with the request.
Requests that cannot be filled from the MVLC and Virtual Catalog systems will be requested by Library staff on behalf of patrons, through the Wellesley Public Library to the OCLC network.

Non-Chelmsford residents will be charged $5.00 for any OCLC request, which must be paid before the item is requested. Cash or checks will be accepted – please make checks payable to Chelmsford Library Gift Book Fund.

Successful OCLC requests will be processed by Library staff, who will contact the patron by phone or email to pick up their item. Unsuccessful OCLC requests may be due to the owning library charging a higher fee for the item than the Chelmsford Library is able to absorb; in those cases, the patron will be contacted to see if they are willing to pay the fee

Any patron who fails to pick up an out-of-system item may lose the ability to place ILL requests. Any patron who returns an out-of-system item late may be charged an overdue fine and may lose the ability to place ILL requests.

Approved, Library Board of Trustees,  December 2015