Interlibrary Loan  

Welcome to Interlibrary Loan @ VWC

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service by which our library will borrow material you need from another library.  Books and articles not available through our collection may be requested through ILL.  You want it?  We don't have it?  Let us know... we'll certainly try to get it!

• You will be notified by campus e-mail when loans are available for you to pickup at the library's circulation desk.  Items not picked up will be returned to the lending library on the due date and cannot be requested again until the following semester.
• Journal articles are usually sent as e-mail attachments to your VWC e-mail account.  Adobe Acrobat software must be installed on your computer in order to view ILL documents.  (Contact Computer Services Help Desk at (757) 455-3111 or helpdesk@vwc.edu for assistance.)

• Due dates are set by the lending library and range from 1 - 8 weeks
• Renewal requests must be made at least 4 days before the due date
• Renewals may or may not be granted by the lending library
• Journal articles are yours to keep; it is not necessary to return them

Please return loans to our library by the due date.  Please avoid using the book drop for ILL items, especially audio/visual and microforms.  You do not need to return photocopies.

You'd like to request an item through ILL?

• Complete an ILL Request Form

• E-mail the form to ill@vwc.edu

Or... send an e-mail to ill@vwc.edu with this information:

• Your first and last name
• Your VWC e-mail address
• Your status (senior, junior, etc.)
• Your major or course
• Complete, accurate citation(s)
• Where you discovered the resource

• Most books and journal articles
• Books published during the past year may or may not be available
• Dissertations and audio-visual materials may or may not be available

While we try to accommodate all requests, the following items are extremely difficult to obtain or not available through ILL:

• Entire issues of journals, magazines, and newspapers
• Books owned by VWC but checked out (please request a hold)
• Books owned by VWC but on reserve
• Electronic books (e-books)
• Current textbooks
• Reference books
• Genealogy materials
• Standardized test preparation materials
• Video games, board games
• Archives, special collections, rare/fragile items, and unique materials that would be difficult to replace

Current VWC students, faculty, and staff

(ILL service is not available to VWC alumni and non-VWC library guests.)

The service is free.  We reserve the right to assess a $15 fee for each item returned past its due date.  Charges for lost ILL items include replacement costs PLUS an additional $25.00 processing fee.  (For more information, see Interlibrary Loan Overdue/Replacement Policy)

As many items per semester as needed to complete your research; however, there is a weekly limit of 10 requests.  If you need to make additional requests, please contact the ILL Coordinator or a librarian.

Many articles are published in foreign languages; make sure the items you're requesting are in a language you understand.

Please allow approximately one week for receipt of copies and two weeks for receipt of loans.  Many items may arrive quicker, while items available at fewer libraries may take longer to obtain.

No.  While this information may be helpful, especially for items that are rare or difficult to obtain, you do not need to know which libraries have the item you are requesting.  We try to borrow items from the closest libraries in order to obtain items quickly; however, we also must avoid overburdening any one library with our ILL requests.

• Interlibrary Loan Overdue/Replacement Policy
• VWC follows VIVA Interlibrary Loan Guidelines
• VWC complies with copyright guidelines
• View the library's privacy statement & guidelines

• During a single calendar year, a maximum of five articles published within the past five years from any single journal may be requested by a library.  This guideline is generally known as the "Rule of Five".
• During any calendar year, an individual patron may request only one article per issue from any single journal.  This guideline is generally known as the "Rule of Two".

These guidelines are based on section 108 of the Copyright Law of the United States of America.

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.