What is Interlibrary Loan?
Basically, it is to borrow or obtain copies of materials not found in local collections on behalf of library clientele, and to lend or provide copies of materials requested by other libraries. A formal definition for interlibrary loan (ILL) can be found in sections 1 and 2 of the National Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States, 2016.
What does it mean for Nevada?
Nevada libraries are dedicated to meeting the educational, informational, recreational and cultural demands of the citizens of the State. It is the basic responsibility of each library to satisfy the informational needs of its public. However, many library users have informational requirements that are beyond the resources of their local library.
What is INFORMATION NEVADA?
INFORMATION NEVADA, a cooperative network of libraries, was established to provide more effective access to library and information resources on a local, statewide, and interstate basis through the use of interlibrary loan. The Nevada State Library, Archives, and Public Records (NSLAPR) helps support the network from state and federal (Library Services and Technology Act) funds and serves as the coordinator for network management.
The basis for the design of the network is the philosophical commitment that through the careful coordination of the resources and services of all types of libraries within the State, the quality and availability of materials and information can be substantially improved. Cooperation through interlibrary loan services makes it possible for each local library to satisfy a greater portion of its users' needs, but is not meant to replace local responsibility.
Nevada libraries are not required to participate in INFORMATION NEVADA, but must participate in order to be eligible for LSTA funding through the Nevada State Library. For more information about LSTA eligibility, click here.
INFORMATION NEVADA is a decentralized hierarchy with two levels of service.
Level One: The local, primary library serving the user
If the needed information is not available in the local library, then requests enter the network to be sent to the appropriate library. Any library in the State may refer requests by following the directions in the Procedures section of the INFORMATION NEVADA Manual. Requests that cannot be filled through avenues available to the local library are escalated to the next level.
Level Two: Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records
The Nevada State Library offers a wide range of reference and interlibrary loan services to libraries in Nevada.
The services available from the Nevada State Library include access to materials and information not available at the local level, including the interlibrary loan of more specialized books, periodical articles, and government publications. Other services include bibliographic verification through the searching of specialized sources, answering reference requests, accessing online bibliographic databases and assistance in locating the items cited by the computer searches, as well as accessing the holdings of libraries throughout the United States.
The most frequently used service by libraries is the interlibrary loan of specific titles. If the locations have been verified, a library may request books directly from the holding library. An exception to this rule is the school library. When school libraries need to go outside of their area for materials, they send those requests to NSLAPR. Subject requests or reference referrals may be directed to NSLAPR. Requests which cannot be filled from resources available to the individual libraries in-state or out-of-state, or which cannot be verified by these libraries, may be forwarded to NSLAPR. If such requests meet the guidelines of the National Interlibrary Loan Code, 2016, NSLAPR will request materials from out-of-state libraries, assist libraries in borrowing directly from out-of-state sources, and aid in verification.
Guidelines and limitations on what materials can be requested through interlibrary loan are detailed in the Procedures section of the INFORMATION NEVADA Manual. In general, libraries should use common sense when requesting materials. A library should evaluate requests to determine if the patron is best served through interlibrary loan or by some other method, such as direct purchase, substitution, subject search, on-site research, or by referral to a local resource person.
Use of the network to borrow recently published books is allowed under these procedures, but the lending of these items is left to the discretion of each library. Many libraries will not loan new books for a period of six months. Generally, requests to borrow books published in the current year cannot be sent out of state.
For further assistance, the NSLAPR team can be contacted via phone (775) 684-3360 or email.
Postage reimbursement is now available for Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to public libraries. The library director or library board must submit a letter on letterhead to the LSTA Coordinator indicating the budget is not able to cover all the postage costs related to sending and/or returning items within ILL. Libraries then may request reimbursement for postage expenditures once a quarter. There is a maximum of $2,000 per library system per year.
The library may submit actual costs in a spreadsheet or table format or the library may calculate the average cost per ILL mailing (this usually takes at least 6 months of records to get a good average). For costs in the last quarter of the fiscal year (ending 6/30) - the request for reimbursement must be submitted by July 20th.
Funds for this project have been provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records.
NSLAPR Library Services
Phone: 775-684-3360
Email: libraryservices@admin.nv.gov
INFORMATION NEVADA Information Request
INFORMATION NEVADA ILL Request
NSLAPR Planning and Development
Phone: 775-684-3373
Email: NSLA-LPD@admin.nv.gov
