Interlibrary Loan

Madison County Public Library 

Interlibrary Loan and Material Request Policy (2025) 

Overview 

Interlibrary loan (ILL) allows Madison County Public Library customers to borrow materials from other libraries. ILL requests are for items the library does not own, and are not within purchasing standards set forth by the library’s collection development policy. 

Borrowing 

Customers with a valid Madison County Public Library card, in good standing, may utilize interlibrary loan. Customers with lost items on their account must resolve the issue before items can be borrowed from other libraries. 

Items older than 6 months may be considered for ILL. The library will attempt to borrow books, media and articles. We are unable to borrow entire journal volumes, items held outside of the United States, or ebooks. Newly published titles will be considered for purchase. Customers are limited to 5 requests per week. 

Checkout periods 

Checkout periods will be determined by the lending library. As delivery time for ILLs is indeterminable, customers should allow for a minimum of two weeks per request. Once the requested ILL is received, it will be automatically checked out and held for pickup. The library will hold the requested item for the duration of the loan. ILLs may be picked up and returned to either library location. 

Renewals 

ILLs may be renewed at the discretion of the lending library. To request a renewal, contact the ILL department by calling 859-623-6704 ext. 105, or by emailing ill@madisonlibrary.org, at least 3 days in advance of the due date. Items may be recalled at any time by the lending library. 

Lost or Damaged ILLs 

ILLs that are lost, returned damaged, or returned without the library's ILL labels could result in lost charges as well as the suspension of ILL privileges. 

Loaning to Other Libraries 

Madison County Public Library will loan materials older than 1 year to other members of the OCLC consortium free of charge. The library does not loan internationally. 

Madison County Public Library materials loaned to other libraries can be checked out for 8 weeks, with one 4-week renewal for a total of 12 weeks. Items may be recalled at any time. 

Lost Loans and Associated Charges 

Library materials not returned after 90 days will be assumed lost. The Madison County Public Library will invoice borrowing institutions for the cost of any materials lost through interlibrary loan. Institutional borrowing privileges may be revoked if a borrower consistently damages or fails to return items, or if restrictions placed on borrowed items are ignored. 

Copy requests and copyright 

Customers can request copies of articles. Printed copies are 10 cents per page and must adhere to Copyright Law. 

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 the 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 judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.