The Fairfax Community Library offers Interlibrary Loans (ILLs)
to expand our patrons’ borrowing abilities.
Who
Interlibrary Loans are available to Community and Non-Resident patrons.
Homecard Library System patrons must request ILLs through their hometown library.
Patrons who use Interlibrary Loans are responsible for the replacement cost of items borrowed if damaged beyond repair, lost, or stolen, as with any other library item.
What
Items eligible for ILL are often books, audiobooks on CD, and DVDs.
* Books, audiobooks on CD, and DVDs within 6 months of purchase are reserved for the purchasing library before becoming available for Interlibrary Loan. (They may be available to borrow directly from a Homecard Library System library.)
Fragile, oversized, or cost-prohibitive-to-ship items, such as games, nontraditional/library of things items, and reference materials are ineligible for ILLs. (Check Homecard for local libraries which offer games and library of things collections from which you can borrow directly.)
Where
The Library most-often sends and receives Interlibrary Loans to and from other libraries in Vermont, including the State Libraries and academic libraries at local colleges and universities. On rare occasion, an ILL might arrive from other states.
The Library is grateful to all libraries which contribute to this vital and inclusive service!
When
Interlibrary Loan items arrive at the Library within 1 to 2 weeks. The Library will call you when your ILL is ready to pick up.
On average, an Interlibrary Loan has a 1-month borrowing period. Please request a renewal 1 week before your ILL is due.
How
Request an Interlibrary Loan if the Library doesn’t have a particular item in our Collections. We’re happy to see if another library has the item and, if available, to request an ILL. To place a request:
- Visit the Library
- Call
Why
Interlibrary Loans promote budget-conscious, sustainable, and accessible librarianship: When a library doesn’t need to own every item of potential interest to their patrons, but is able to borrow items from participating libraries, each library can focus on purchasing and maintaining items of the most interest to their patrons. This also keeps the collections more navigable, preventing overcrowding of the stacks and the Library itself.
ILLs also allow the Library to supplement items available to book clubs instead of needing to purchase multiple copies for each meeting.
Supporters
The Library is thankful for support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Vermont Department of Libraries (VT DOL) for a generous grant to help offset the cost of deliveries through the ILL Courier Service.