Requesting Materials through Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Looking for material not found in Mesabi's library collection? Searching for resources not found in MnPALS or the Minnesota Library Information network, MnLink?

To  request Interlibrary Loan (ILL) materials not found in MnPALS or MnLink or our full-text databases, fill out the following online forms:

• Request for books
• Request for journal or magazine articles

To complete the form:

1.  At User ID/Barcode, type your 14 digit library barcode.
2.  At Password, type up to 8 letters of your last name.
3.  Type all available information about your requested item.
4.  Near the end of the form, at:

• Pickup/Delivery Location, select Mesabi Range College Library
• Not Needed After, click the small calendar and select a date. A generous guideline is to select a date one month from the day you are making your request.
• If requesting a:
• Book - select Printed (loan).  Click Go.  Your ILL is submitted.  You will receive a notice when your item arrives at the Mesabi Range College Library.  Books take 7 or more days to arrive.
• Magazine, journal or newspaper article - at Electronic Copy (MEDD), select Yes.  Read and click the Copyright Warning box.  Click Go.  Electronic ILL articles are sent to Mesabi Range webmail accounts. If an ILL article is not available electronically or if there is no email address in your Library account information, then a photocopy of the article will be sent to the Mesabi Range College Library.

 Questions?  Send an email to Laurel Chilcote at l.chilcote@mr.mnscu.edu.

ILL Borrowing Restrictions
Libraries participate in Interlibrary Loan voluntarily. Access to another library's materials is a privilege, not a right. Each library determines which materials it will and will not lend. Some materials are not available through ILL and cannot be requested. These restricted materials include:

• Reference books
• Materials available at the Mesabi Range College Library
• Full-text articles available through the library databases (EBSCO, InfoTrac, etc.)

Borrower's Responsibilities: The person whose barcode number appears on the ILL request is responsible for lost, damaged, or overdue materials. Lending libraries, not Mesabi Range College Library, determine the amount of time you can borrow materials and the replacement costs and late fees. You are responsible for the prompt return of ILL materials. Overdue items will result in a block to submit future requests and/or a hold on your college transcripts.

Patrons are restricted to 40 ILL requests per semester.

Copyright Restrictions

Most books are available through ILL. Photocopies of periodical articles are available subject to copyright restrictions. Copyright restricts Mesabi Range College library to request no more than one article from the same issue of any periodical published in the last five years during one calendar year. Mesabi Range College library can request no more than five articles from the same journal or magazine published in the last five years.

How Will I Know When My Books And Articles Are Here?

When a book or article photocopy arrives, you are notified by mail or email. Items are kept at the Circulation Desk in the Library. Electronic articles are scanned and you will be sent an email with a URL where you can retrieve them.

How Long Do ILL Materials Take To Arrive?

Articles: Articles available from the University of Minnesota and sent electronically are generally available within 2-3 days. Others (not owned by U of M or not available electronically) will take longer.

Books: Turnaround time varies greatly depending on the type of material, the location of the lender, etc. Allow ample time - a week or more - to ensure that you will get your material.

Requests are processed within 24 hours Monday - Friday with the exception of unusual or hard-to-find material. All requests are treated as priority. Materials are always ordered from local MnPALS libraries if possible. The "need-by" date does not speed up processing of requests.   It tells us how long we should keep looking for items not readily available.

Is There a Charge for ILL Services?

No, ILL services are free to you. You are not charged for processing, shipping or photocopies. However, patrons who order ILL materials and fail to pick them up within 2 weeks will be charged a service fee of $5.00 for each item. To avoid charges for replacement cost, late fees, or service fees, please be responsible in your retrieval and return of ILL materials.