Interlibrary Loan Policies

Purpose, eligibility, hours of service

The Interlibrary Loan/RACER Service supplements local resources by obtaining research materials not owned or accessible at Brock from other libraries. This service is available to Brock faculty, registered students, and staff.

Brock alumni with an Alumni card, and members of the Brock community who have obtained an Extramural Borrowing card with research privileges from Circulation Services may use the Interlibrary Loan service to request books and microformat materials. Due to copyright and license restrictions, alumni and extramural borrowers are not eligible for document delivery of journal articles or photocopies of chapters from books.

The Interlibrary Loan office (905-688-5550 ext.3235) is located on the main floor of the Library and is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the Fall/Winter sessions. Spring/Summer hours may vary. Assistance is also available after these hours from the Help Desk throughout the year. Please check the Library Home Page for Library Hours.

Types of Requests

Books, journal articles, government publications, conference proceedings, reports, Canadian theses, and microfilm / microfiche can be requested on Interlibrary Loan.

Materials Not Available for Loan

Materials at Brock, even if signed out or on reserve, cannot be requested. Other materials not available for loan include:
Entire journal issues
Reference titles
Audiovisual materials (videos, CDs, etc.)
Textbooks
Maps
Electronic books (e-books)
Unpublished, international (including U.S.) dissertations and theses.

Subsidized Requests

The Library subsidizes the costs of obtaining research materials from Canadian libraries for Brock faculty, registered students and staff. Requests for material only obtainable from U.S. or international locations can be made by faculty, graduate students, and staff.  Leanding and copying charges apply.

  Requests for material for personal interest are not subsidized. Please inquire at the Circulation Services Desk or Help Desk for more details. Alumni and Community (Extramural) Borrowers are charged on a cost recovery basis.

The Library will pay up to $25 to subsidize faculty and graduate student interlibrary loan requests filled by U.S. and other international libraries. Users are responsible for all charges over $25 imposed by the lending library. These charges may include lending, photocopying, copyright, shipping, or brokerage fees, and must be paid when items are picked up or when the lending library billing information has been received. Contact Interlibrary Loan staff for further information.

Submitting Requests

Have you checked the Brock Library Catalogue for the item needed? Material identified as available in the James A. Gibson Library may be requested only when certified as 'missing' by Circulation Services.

• Pre-registration is required to use the Interlibrary Loan Service. Please complete the End User Registration Form for first time users.
• Select RACER, the virtual union catalogue of all Ontario University libraries, find required items, and click on Get it!.
• Alternatively, you may also fill out a blank request form in RACER.
• Use of abbreviations, incomplete or incorrect information may delay the processing of your request.
• The same item may not be requested more than twice, and then only if an alternate location can be found.
• Do not submit duplicate requests. If you have questions about a canceled request, or a delay in the receipt of materials, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Staff.
• Please read your alert e-mail messages carefully. If your material is not available, a reason will be given.

The Interlibrary Loan system (RACER) will notify faculty, students and staff via e-mail when material arrives, or if there is some difficulty in locating the item. Users are responsible for monitoring the status of their requests. Materials (books) must be picked up and returned at the Circulation Services Desk. Please note that the lending library may stipulate special conditions that must be followed (i.e. the book/microform might be restricted to 'In-Library Use Only'). Book bands that identify the material as an Interlibrary Loan must not be removed. Photocopies of journal articles must also be picked up at the Circulation Services Desk, but are for the borrower's retention.

Loan Periods

For books, the due date is indicated on the book band, with no renewals. The loan period may vary according to the policy of the lending library. Due dates are important. Your cooperation is appreciated. Failure to return materials by the due date may result in the suspension of borrowing privileges, and delay the processing of additional requests. Replacement costs set by the lending library, plus processing fees, will be charged for very overdue or lost materials.

How Long Does it Take?

Regular requests may take up to five to ten working days depending on the lending library. Please submit your requests well in advance.

Pickup Location: James A. Gibson Library

Users selecting the RACER Pickup Location: James A. Gibson Library, can pick up processed materials at the James A. Gibson Library's Circulation Services Desk. Users are notified by e-mail to pick up materials during Library Hours. Circulating RACER materials picked up at either location can be returned directly to the IRC Hamilton Campus or the James A. Gibson Library's Circulation Services Desk.

Pickup Location: Instructional Resources Centre (IRC) Hamilton Campus

Users selecting the RACER Pickup Location: Instructional Resources Centre (IRC) Hamilton Campus are required to include the following note in the RACER form's Special Instructions box: Please forward materials to the IRC Hamilton Campus. This will ensure that these materials will be forwarded from the James A. Gibson Library to the Hamilton IRC Campus. Users will be notified by e-mail when materials have been processed. However, materials are forwarded to the IRC Hamilton Campus by intercampus delivery twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday. Please note that it may take up to 3 additional working days for RACER processed materials to arrive at this location. It is recommended that users contact the IRC Hamilton Campus directly to determine the availability of RACER materials and library hours. Circulating RACER materials picked up at either location can be returned directly to the IRC Hamilton Campus or the James A. Gibson Library's Circulation Services Desk.

Rush Requests

The following charges apply for Rush Requests and must be prepaid:

Books: $15.00, plus courier charges. Any fees charged by the lending library are passed on to our users.
Journal articles: $15.00, plus fax charges.

Fees

The following charges apply to interlibrary loan materials:

• Users will be charged $5 per interlibrary loan book not picked up prior to being returned to the lending library.
• Users will be charged $5 per article not picked up within 30 days of being processed by Interlibrary Loan staff.
• Users will be charged a flat rate replacement cost of $75.00, plus a $50.00 non-refundable processing fee for lost, damaged or missing materials.
• Overdue ILL materials $1.50 per day per item.
• Overdue ILL recalled materials $2 per day per item.
• Users will be charged $5 for lost book bands not returned with borrowed materials.

All charges will be added to a user's library circulation account.  Borrowing privileges for Brock University students are suspended for fees of $10.00 or more.  Faculty and staff borrowing privileges are suspended for fees of $20.00 or more. In addition, borrowing privileges are suspended pending the return of all overdue and recalled material. Use My Library Account to view currently checked out items and fees owing.

Copyright

Copies of articles or documents provided through the Interlibrary Loan Service are made according to the limits specified under Canadian Copyright Law, or under the terms of agreement each university has with Access Copyright, or other electronic resource providers. Generally, this means that current Brock students, faculty and staff may request a single copy of one article from one journal issue, or more than one article provided that the total number of pages does not exceed 10% of the issue. If your request exceeds the limit, you will be advised that your request cannot be filled. Systematic, cumulative copying is prohibited. Submission of the Interlibrary Loan request constitutes agreement that the materials received will be used for the purpose of research or private study only, and that the requestor has not previously received a copy of the article/document being requested.

Contact

To speak with Interlibrary Loan staff, please call 905-688-5550, ext. 3235.  For further information email: racer@brocku.ca or telephone Ian Gordon at 905-688-5550, ext.3727, or fax at 905-988-5490.  Brock University Interlibrary Loan mailing address is Interlibrary Loan, James A. Gibson Library, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1.