Interlibrary loan is a service provided by JGRLS to obtain materials not found in our Library’s catalog:
1. Please read our Inter-library Loan Policy below and then search the JGRLS Public Access Catalog (PAC) to make sure the material is not available in one of our 8 branches.
2. Submit an ILL request to borrow materials from other library systems. There is a limit of 15 active requests per customer at one time. Requests for materials published within the last six months will not be accepted. Visit this link for more AND click on the “JGRLS Info” tab: Mississippi Virtual Union Catalog
When local resources do not meet the educational, informational or recreational needs of library customers, the Jackson-George Regional Library System will obtain books and materials from other libraries in Mississippi and throughout the U.S.
As a full participant in the Statewide Virtual Union Catalog and ILL System funded by the Mississippi Library Commission, JGRLS borrows and lends materials in accordance with established guidelines and adheres to the ILL Code for the United States as revised 2008 by the American Library Association.
JGRLS customers who are valid library cardholders may utilize the ILL service. A valid library cardholder’s account has complete and accurate customer information, a fine balance of less than $10, and no overdue materials.
Customers who are disabled and unable to visit a JGRLS Library in person due to a physical or mental disability should refer to the JGRLS Outreach Services Policy.
Any exceptions must be reviewed and approved by the Director.
JGRLS considers ILL to be a normal and customary library service and does not charge users for providing this service. The ILL Coordinator will make every effort to request materials from libraries that do not charge. Materials available for a fee only will be requested after confirming that the customer is willing to pay and only after all options with no charge have been exhausted.
Magazine and journal articles are included in the ILL service. Lenders usually charge 20 cents per page, as costs associated with photocopies of articles are passed on to the customer. If an article is faxed, the fee could be considerably higher. The customer will be notified of costs before the material is sent.
The overdue fine for interlibrary loans is 15 cents per day. Customers are responsible when they lose or damage borrowed materials and will be billed replacement and processing costs and any other fees assigned by the loaning library.
JGRLS will apply these same rules for JGRLS materials loaned to other library systems.
Reference and rare materials, college textbooks, thesis, dissertations, microfilm, or material in high demand such as recently published items that have not been available to local customers for at least 6 months are usually restricted from borrowing. Customers are encouraged to complete and submit a JGRLS Suggest a Purchase form to obtain recently published popular materials.
The number of libraries willing to lend audio-visual (A-V) material is small, but growing. Feature films (movies) can be obtained, but not as successfully as, for example, historical, how-to, or travel. The lending period is considerably shorter on A-V material, usually 1 to 2 weeks. Genealogical materials are sometimes difficult to locate and may take considerably longer to obtain. Materials may be re-called by the lender and must be returned immediately.
JGRLS will not lend newspapers, serials, microforms, video games, materials classified reference or genealogy, rare or valuable material that would be difficult or impossible to replace, or material in high demand such as recently published items that have not been available to local customers for at least 6 months.
ILL renewals cannot be made via the JGRLS on-line catalog. Requests to renew items borrowed from other library systems may be made by calling the ILL Coordinator at the contact number provided below, during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), at least five working days prior to the due date. Overdue and audio-visual materials cannot be renewed. Renewals are at the sole discretion of the loaning library and cannot be guaranteed. When this occurs, staff will request that same title for a customer from a different lender and the customer is required to immediately return the item they currently have.
Library customers may submit requests in person at any of the 8 JGRLS branches or remotely through a single point of access: The Statewide Virtual Union Catalog and Interlibrary Loan (VUC/ILL) System. The System enables public libraries to meet Mississippian’s needs for materials and resources not available locally. To search and place requests, click “Login”, enter your JGRLS library card number and library card PIN in the appropriate box, click “Submit”.
Customers are limited to submitting no more than 15 requests at a time. Generally, it takes up to 2 weeks or longer to request and receive materials unless another Mississippi library owns the item(s). Due dates are set by the loaning library, not JGRLS. ILL items will be checked out with the due date dictated by the loaning library regardless of when the customer checks the item out.
When requested materials arrive, customers will be notified by phone or mail and are required to pick up their material promptly. Any ILL material not picked up after 5 business days will be considered no longer needed and returned to the lender. Customers who fail to pick up materials 5 times will have their ILL privileges suspended for 12 months.
