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INTRODUCTION

The Bridgewater Public Library is a commonly held public resource, shared and supported by the Town of Bridgewater and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Its purpose is to insure that members of the Bridgewater community have the right and means to free and open access to information and ideas.  The Library protects intellectual freedom, promotes literacy and encourages life-long learning.

The Bridgewater Public Library is part of the SouthEastern Massachusetts Library System (SEMLS).

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

The conditions of this service are set by the Southeast Massachusetts Library System Interlibrary Loan Protocols and Guidelines; the National Interlibrary Loan code, 1980;  and U.S. Code Title 17 concerning copyright law.

WHAT IS INTERLIBRARY LOAN?

An interlibrary loan is a transaction in which library material, or a copy of the material, is made available by one library to another upon request, not including material shared among SAILS  member libraries.

The purpose of interlibrary loan is to obtain library material not available in the Bridgewater Public Library or SAILS, and to loan material found at the Bridgewater Public Library to non-SAILS libraries.

Interlibrary loan service is essential to the vitality of libraries of all types and sizes as a means of greatly expanding the range of materials available to users.  Lending between libraries is in the public interest and should be encouraged.   Interlibrary loan should serve as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, collection development at the local level.   

WHO CAN USE ILL?

Interlibrary loan is offered to all registered borrowers in good standing of the Bridgewater Public Library or SAILS.   Interlibrary loan is transacted only from library to library.  Individual patrons from other libraries should request this service from their own library.

WHAT SORT OF MATERIALS CAN I GET THROUGH INTERLIBRARY LOAN?

Material which may be borrowed:
A loan or a copy of any material may be requested from another library, but the lending library will decide in each case whether or not a particular item can be provided.

Most libraries will not ordinarily lend the following types of materials:
Newly published material
Old, rare or valuable material
Reference and genealogical material
Audio and videocassettes, sound recordings, and motion picture films
Entire issues of periodicals
Material in high demand at the lending library; curriculum material, including textbooks
Scripts, screen plays, libretti, and scores
Multi-volume sets

Materials which will not be borrowed:
Material owned by the Bridgewater Public Library or SAILS and temporarily in use
Titles on the New York Times or Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists
Multiple copies of a title for class or other group use
Inexpensive paperbacks in print
Titles not yet published   

HOW  DO  I  REQUEST  MATERIAL  FROM  INTERLIBRARY  LOAN?

You should ask at the Information Desk for an Interlibrary Loan form.  If you are requesting a periodical article, ask for a “Journal Document Delivery Request Form”.  Please use a separate form for each request.   

WHAT INFORMATION DO I NEED TO MAKE A REQUEST?

To request a book you will need the author, title and if possible, the year of publication.  Subject requests are also accepted.

To request a periodical article you will need the title of the journal, date, page numbers, author and title of the article. The source of the information must also be included (index, bibliography, etc.) 

A “need by” date should be indicated, if applicable, and whether a non-circulating copy of the requested materials is acceptable if no circulating copy can be borrowed.

To avoid delays, fill out the forms as completely as possible.  Please do not use abbreviations.  If you don’t have all of the information, we will still try to fill your request, but may not be successful.  

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECEIVE AN INTERLIBRARY LOAN ITEM?

The Bridgewater Public Library belongs to the SAILS network.  Requests can be placed electronically to several different library systems in Massachusetts and are delivered by van.  It can take two or three weeks to receive an item from a Massachusetts library, or if we have to go out of state, it can take longer to complete the process.

Service will be given as quickly and inexpensively as possible.

DO YOU CHARGE A FEE FOR INTERLIBRARY LOAN?

No, there is no fee for placing an Interlibrary loan request.

WILL I BE NOTIFIED WHEN MY INTERLIBRARY LOAN MATERIALS ARRIVE AT THE LIBRARY?

Patrons are notified by telephone when the material arrives.  Items are kept at the Service Desk for three days after the patron is notified.  Periodical articles are kept at the Information Desk for one week.

HOW LONG CAN I KEEP INTERLIBRARY LOAN MATERIALS?

Typically, books are available for 3-5 weeks, at the discretion of the loaning library.  The loaning library may impose restrictions, such as “in library use” or “no renewals”.  If you need additional time to use the material, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Librarian as soon as possible.  The loaning library grants permission for renewals, not the Bridgewater Public Library staff.  Renewals must be requested before the due date.  We cannot request renewals for items that are already overdue.

Please make every effort to return the items by the specified due date.  Interlibrary loan service will be suspended for those who abuse the privilege, including those who repeatedly fail to pick up requested interlibrary loan material or who fail to return materials in a timely fashion.

WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR A LOST OR DAMAGED ITEM?

Payment must be made for materials lost or damaged while charged out to the borrower.  No refunds will be made for lost and paid interlibrary loan materials that are subsequently found. 

Interlibrary Loan is dependent upon the generosity and goodwill between libraries.  Please be careful with their property and return it on time.