The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service allows libraries to borrow materials that they do not own, such as books or articles, from other libraries throughout the country. Please keep in mind that many libraries do not loan recently published, high-demand, rare, or fragile materials. 

Eligibility

You must have a current library card with adult borrowing privileges to request an ILL. You cannot have fees over $10 on your library account.

It usually takes between 2 to 6 weeks for a requested item to arrive, and you can have no more than 5 active requests at a time. A request is considered active from the time it is submitted to the time it is returned to the lending library.

Fees for Interlibrary Loan Requests

Additional fees may apply from the Lenders

Due to increasing postage and processing costs, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library charges a small fee for the Interlibrary Loan service. This enables us to continue providing this valuable service to patrons.
 

Interlibrary Loan Books 
$2.00 fee for each Interlibrary Loan item

Microfilm (In-house viewing, Appointment only)

Interlibrary Loan Article
$0.00 or Free, delivered electronically

Interlibrary Loan Policies

• Payment must be made at time of pick-up.
• If items are not picked up, customers will still be assessed the fee.
• If the request cannot be filled, the fee will not be charged.
• Items will be held for seven days at the circulation desk at the pickup location.
• Items are checked out for three weeks with one possible renewal for a total of six weeks.
• You may return items to any branch. You MUST return items inside the branch. DO NOT USE THE BOOK DROP.
• Damaged Items:  If a customer returns a damaged interlibrary loan item(s), their library card account will be assessed the full replacement cost of the item as determined by the lending facility.
• $100.00 Lost Item Fee — The default price is $100.00. Please speak with ILL staff about lost items as we will need to discuss the matter. Many times the cost will be lower, however it may be higher.
• Amount Willing to Pay is required on the request form — 95% of items received are free, however if the owning library charges us, we must pass that to you. You should fill in the maximum fee you are willing to pay the owning library. If you do not want to pay a borrowing charge, put $0. The $2.00 fee CML charges will be assessed in any case 
   

Difficult to Obtain

• Genealogical material
• Material not published in the U.S. or not held by U.S. libraries
• Very old or rare books
• Very expensive books
• Reference material
   

Items We Cannot Request

• Audio books
• Videotapes
• DVD’s
• Compact Discs

Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about interlibrary loan?

Interlibrary Loan office contact us.