What is Interlibrary Loan?
Interlibrary Loan permits one to borrow books, photocopies of periodicals and other materials from libraries that do not allow direct borrowing by non-members.

Who may request Interlibrary Loan service at the New York Institute of Technology?
Interlibrary Loan service may be requested by all currently enrolled students and current faculty, administrators and staff.

How does one initiate a request?
Interlibrary Loan requests are handled at the Reference Desk. One should first check the resources of the NYIT Library system to make sure that the material wanted is not already held by one of the Library branches. Materials held by other NYIT libraries should be requested at the Circulation Desk of your local branch. Those items not held by any NYIT Library branch are eligible for Interlibrary Loan. An Interlibrary Loan Request Form may be filled out either in person or through the NYIT Library Webpage. Click Library Services and under the heading Electronic Forms select either Interlibrary Loan: Books or Audio Visual Materials or Interlibrary Loan: Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper Articles.

How much does this service cost?
Interlibrary Loan service is provided free of charge in almost all cases. In very rare cases, it may be necessary to pay certain charges to expedite matters. The borrower will always be notified in advance if this is the case.

Where are Interlibrary Loan Materials Delivered?
Materials are delivered to the Branch libraries specified in the request. The individual requesting the material is then contacted and the items are held for pickup, generally behind the Circulation Desk. Upon request, borrowed materials can be delivered to another NYIT campus or mailed to the home of the borrower.

Direct Borrowing is also available through the Research Loan Program of the Long Island Library Resources Council (LILRC). NYIT Reference Librarians can issue a special card providing restricted borrowing privileges at an individual library for a maximum of three months. Borrowers agree to abide by the restrictions of the host library and are subject to the fines regularly charged for overdue materials. The METRO Card issued for New York City libraries provides on-site access to a wide range of metropolitan libraries, but does not provide borrowing privileges.

Where should Interlibrary Loan Materials be Returned?
Borrowed books, microforms, audiovisual materials, bound periodicals, etc. should be returned to the Reference Desk of the library branch which initiated the loan request. Photocopies of periodical articles may be kept.

How Fast is Interlibrary Loan?
It is not possible to guarantee the arrival of borrowed materials on any particular date. Books and other items requested from libraries in the New York metropolitan area typically take one to two weeks. Sometimes items are received in four days; others may arrive in four weeks. Fax requests for short articles usually take two business days, but frequently may take longer. In cases where one is under time pressure to receive materials, interlibrary loan requests should be submitted as soon as possible.

Alternatives to Interlibrary Loan Service.
If materials are needed in fewer than three days, one might consider the following alternatives:
1. Full text databases may be available through commercial suppliers or on the Internet which may supply the needed documents.
2. Visit local libraries and view or photocopy non-circulating materials. Also, the catalogs of many libraries or library systems are readily available on the Internet for searching and determining the locations of holdings.
3. Choose different books or periodicals which cover the desired subject. There may be other resources and research tools which can supply the required information. Confer with a Reference Librarian to determine new leads for your research.