Interlibrary Loan gives all people with London Public library cards access to materials beyond our collections through the use of automated systems of request and retrieval. London Public Library is an integral part of the free information network throughout North America.

Process

Patrons in good standing with the London Public Library, may fill out the Interlibrary Loan Request form, available from Information Desks at all Library locations. 

Once received, the ILLO Clerk will attempt to locate the item using the INFO database, provided by SOLS (The Southern Ontario Library System). If this is unsuccessful a further attempt is made through various other Internet-accessible databases, e.g., UWO. If the patron has suggested a possible location this will be explored. 

It is important, when filling out the form, to include full patron information--the name as displayed in the patron database, the barcode number. Pickup location for the material should also be specified, otherwise, Central becomes the default pickup location. 

This process may be a lengthy one if the material is not immediately available in south-western Ontario. There is no standard turn-around. It is useful to state on the request form if there is an expiry date for the request. 

Materials Suitable for Interloan

Books

Requests for any published books, paperback or hardcover, are encouraged. Recently-published materials cannot be requested on Interlibrary Loan. 

Photocopies of magazine articles

Please include as much information as possible, e.g., volume and issue numbers, dates. Page numbers are particularly important to record as, often, the lending locations will not search unless they are included. 

Photocopies or microfilm of newspapers

It is necessary to include the name of the City and Province, as well as the title of the publication. 

NFB videos only

Because of the closure of the local NFB office, that collection was transferred to London Public Library. This is the only audio-visual material that London Public Library lends or borrows. 

Talking books

These items are reserved for the use of CNIB-registered patrons only. Special care is taken to make sure that only the talking-book version is obtained. 

Microforms from the government archives

Microform requests must have complete reel numbers and archive name.