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Questions & Answers @ Interlibrary Loans

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a system of borrowing and lending resources used by libraries throughout the United States and even worldwide. Interlibrary Loan allows Frazar Memorial Library to obtain materials (i.e. books, audio-visuals, and articles) not available locally from other participating libraries for the purpose of teaching, learning, research and recreation. Materials borrowed through Interlibrary loan are short-term loans, usually 3-4 weeks. Long-term research or semester loans are not possible.
McNeese State University students, faculty, staff, and Friends of the Library in good standing can use interlibrary loan. Students enrolled in distance education courses from other Louisiana participating colleges and universities and have a LALINC from their institution's library are extended borrowing privileges.
Books, videos/dvds, audiocassettes/cds, government documents, newspapers on microfilm, and theses and dissertations can usually be borrowed. Photocopies of journal or magazine articles and microfilm copies of newspaper articles can be obtained through interlibrary loan.Requests are subject to the policies of the lending library and U.S. copyright laws.
Electronic Books are not available through interlibrary loan. We will not fulfill requests for textbooks required for classes (current textbooks are available through the bookstore). Most libraries will not loan whole issues or bound volumes of periodicals, reference books, rare books and manuscripts, and genealogy materials. If you need any of these, consult with the Interlibrary Loan Librarian.
There is no charge to use interlibrary loan services. The cost to the library is about $18.00 per request.
Every request is different, so there is no set time that materials to arrive. Requests are normally processed on the day they are submitted. Copy requests arrive on average in three to four business days. Loans from other Louisiana libraries usually arrive within one week. Books and other loans from libraries outside Louisiana take more time to arrive through U.S. mail, and these average ten to twelve business days to receive.
Use one of the buttons located on this page, or by logging into your ILLiad account (First time users will need to register). Many of the Library’s databases have an interlibrary loan request link when the full-text article is unavailable. Just click on the “ILL FORM” link and log into your ILLiad account. The system will provide all bibliographic information. WorldCat database will also submit your request by clicking on “Order through ILL.” Paper request forms are available at the Interlibrary Loan Office in Room 104. Forms should be filled out as completely and as legibly as possible. You may also phone the Interlibrary Loan Office to request an item during the hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or send e-mail to the Interlibrary Loan Librarian.
Electronic copies of articles are posted to your interlibrary loan account when received. You will receive an email indicating that a copy is now available to you. These files are PDFs, so you can print, download, email or just view them for 60 days This system does not provide electronic delivery of books, or e-books, which are not obtainable through Interlibrary Loan.
It is a simple one-time step. When creating an interlibrary loan ILLiad user account the first time, select YES to “Preferred Electronic Delivery if Possible” If you already have an ILLiad user account, you can activate electronic delivery through the “Change User Information” part of your ILLiad user account. Just change the “Preferred Electronic Delivery if Possible” to YES. Or e-mail the Interlibrary Loan Office or phone 475-5726.
Borrowers will be notified by e-mail, phone, or postal mail when the requested materials arrive. Please check the appropriate space on the request form to tell us your notification preference. If you are set up for Odyssey electronic delivery of your article or photocopy, you will receive an email from illdept@mcneese.edu with a link to access the stored article. The actual article is not provided. You can view, download, and/or print these files, and you have this access for 60 days. During these 60 days, you will be able to retrieve these requests from the web through your ILLiad user account by clicking on "View/Download Electronically Delivered Requests."
Materials can be picked up at the Circulation Desk during regular library hours. Photocopies of journal articles can be sent to faculty and staff through campus mail. Photocopies are yours to keep. Loan items must be returned to the Circulation Desk or the Interlibrary Loan Office on or before the due date.
There is a band around the material with your name on it, material title, and the due date. Please do not remove this band! The loan period varies with each lending library, but generally it is about 3 weeks. Audiovisual materials can be as short as 1 week use. Semester long loan of materials is not possible through interlibrary loan. You keep the photocopies – there is no due date on the copy strip.
One renewal may be allowed at the discretion of the lending library. No renewals are allowed if the item is already overdue. If you wish to renew an Interlibrary Loan book, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office at 475-5726 between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or send an e-mail to the Interlibrary Loan Librarian before the due date.
Borrowers will receive an overdue notice for delinquent items. Failure to return overdue materials will result in the loss of borrowing privileges. You are responsible for return of materials in good condition and any replacement cost for lost materials for non-returned materials. We want to return materials on time. Other libraries may limit or prohibit future loans to the McNeese Library if materials are not returned within a reasonable time.
Frazar Memorial Library provides Interlibrary Loan services in compliance with United States Interlibrary Code and adheres to US Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and the CONTU Guidelines on copy requests. One condition for obtaining a photocopy or reproduction through Interlibrary Loan is that is not be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." The Library reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying request, if in its judgment, fulfillment would involve violating US ILL Code or Copyright Law. Federal copyright guidelines limit the number of articles that a library can request through interlibrary loan during the year. Libraries have fair use privileges for up to five articles from a specific journal published in the last five years. This is not a limit per person; it is a total limit for the library. As the Library cannot pay copyright royalty fees, article requests that exceed the Library's annual legal limit cannot be requested and are canceled. Please consult the Interlibrary loan Librarian with any questions regarding interlibrary loan copyright regulations. The good news is that articles older than five years are not limited by this copyright guideline.


McNeese State University Frazar Memorial Library | Box 91445 | Lake Charles, LA 70609 | 337-475-5725 |

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