Professional guidelines for Interlibrary Loan have been established by the Interlibrary Loan Committee of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA). Information on the Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States can be found here.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of the 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.
Read more on copyright.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service through which materials not owned by Holy Family University Library may be requested and obtained from other libraries.
Holy Family University (HFU) students, faculty, and staff are eligible to use this service.
Alumni and guest patrons are not eligible to use this service here at HFU. We encourage you contact the ILL service at your home institution or local public library.
For questions about Interlibrary Loan, please visit the front desk of the main floor of the Library.
Telephone: 267-341-3315
What kind of materials can ILL provide?
What material should NOT be requested on ILL?
How long does it take to receive my materials?
ILL book/media loans usually take 2-3 weeks to arrive via postal service mail.
Article copies usually arrive within 1-3 business days via email.
Receipt times can vary, so ILL requests should be placed well in advance of the due date of a major paper/assignment.
What is the fee for this service?
This is a free service, however, overdue/lost ILL books will incur a processing and replacement fee created by the lending library.
Please note: HF Library can not control the amount the lending library demands and patrons are responsible to pay the fine in full. Patron accounts with overdue or lost ILL items were received a hold on their university's account until the item is returned or the fine is completely paid.
How will I know when the material I have requested is received?
You will be notified by your Holy Family email when your ILL material is received. Book/media loans are to be picked up in the library at the front desk. You may also check on the status of a pending ILL request by contacting the library or emailing interlibraryloan@holyfamily.edu.
Please note that you are responsible for verifying the citation of each item requested by using a research database, a standard bibliography, a catalog, or an index. You may also include a copy of your citation with your ILL request.
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