What is Interlibrary Loan?
Interlibrary Loan allows library members to access books not held at their local library through a mutual borrowing agreement between various Ontario public libraries. Just request your book and a library that has an available copy will ship it to us for you to pick up and borrow with your BPL library card. There is no cost associated with this service.
Requesting an Interlibrary Loan
To have staff place an interlibrary loan request for you, email interlibrary@brockvillelibrary.ca, call us at 613-342-3936 or speak to staff at the library.
Provide us with your name and library card number, and the title and author of the book you would like to request. Staff will place your order and you will be notified once your item is ready to pick up at the library.
Requesting an Interlibrary Loan from Home
To place an interlibrary loan request yourself from home, follow the instructions below.
Creating Your Account
1. In your browser, visit brockvillelibrary.ca/ill
2. Click on the green icon in the top right corner and select “My Account”
3. Click “Create account,” found below the “Sign in” and “Cancel” buttons.
4. Enter your name, library barcode number (found on the back of your library card, including the leading 0 and excluding spaces) and email address, and create a password for your account.
5. Click on “Create account.” Your account is now ready to place requests.
Signing In
1. In your browser, visit brockvillelibrary.ca/ill
2. Click on the green icon in the top right corner and select “My Account”
- Signing in to an account you created:
3. Enter your library barcode number and the password you created.
4. Click “Sign in” to access your account and place requests.
- Signing into an account created for you by library staff:
3. Click “Request password” below the “Sign in” and “Cancel” buttons
4. Enter your library barcode number and click “Request”
5. Click on the link in the email you receive from “Library Password Management”
6. Enter your library barcode number and create a new password for your account, then click “Change password”
7. You can now sign in using the instructions above for signing in to an account you created.
Placing a Request
1. Ensure that the title you are looking for is not one that we already carry by searching our catalogue.
2. In your browser, visit brockvillelibrary.ca/ill
3. Enter your search terms (usually the book title and author name) and click on the magnifying glass to search
4. Click on the record that matches what you are looking for and make sure that there is at least one ISBN listed on the record
5. If the record has at least one ISBN, click “Request/Soumettre une demande.” If the record does not have an ISBN, try different records until you find one that does.
6. You will receive an email once the item you requested is ready for pickup at our circulation desk on the first floor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What items are not available through interlibrary loan?
Materials not available through interlibrary loan include:
- Books published within the last 6 months
- Reference materials
- Computer software
- Electronic devices
- eBooks & other digital materials
How long will it take for my book(s) to arrive?
It can take as little as one day to as much as 4 weeks or longer to obtain some materials, depending on the availability or type of material requested. Customers will be notified when the requested item arrives.
Can I renew my book if I am not finished by the due date?
Please return the item by the specified date. Renewing or extending your loan may be possible, but is not guaranteed, because the lending library from which we borrowed the material may have different renewal policies than we do. Failure to return borrowed materials on time may jeopardize future borrowing privileges.
What responsibilities do I have as the borrower of interlibrary loan materials?
Repeat overdue interlibrary loan materials may result in loss of privileges for that service. The borrower is responsible for fines/and or fees received from the lender as a result of the borrower’s misuse of loaned material. Failure to pay for fines/and or fees incurred will affect borrowing privileges.
