The process of lending and borrowing materials between libraries is called interlibrary loan (ILL). Libraries engage in ILL when a library patron requests material that her library does not own. A long tradition of sharing has led to the common practice of libraries loaning materials between institutions for use by each others' patrons.
Interlibrary lending is the process of supplying materials from your collection in response to a request from another institution. Interlibrary borrowing is the process of obtaining materials your library does not own from other library collections and making those materials available to a library user.
Libraries supply returnables and nonreturnables. Returnables are items that can be physically lent and must be returned to the owning library, such as books, microfilm, microfiche, and audiovisual materials. Nonreturnables are copies of collection items that are supplied to the patron and do not need to be returned, such as photocopies or electronic copies of articles or book chapters. U.S. copyright law puts some restrictions on the supply of nonreturnables, but fair use guarantees libraries the right to lend or copy from their collections for many purposes.
There are two types of interlibrary loan: patron-initiated borrowing (PIB) and traditional interlibrary loan . PIB is a highly automated method of ILL that uses a library's online catalog system to allow users to place requests for returnables within a linked network of libraries. The patron identifies a title to order, requests that title, and the system generates a request for the item to an in-network library with an available copy. The item is paged, pulled, shipped, and placed on hold for the patron with a minimum of staff involvement. Some examples of patron-intiated borrowing systems are: ILLINET Online, MOBIUS.
Traditional interlibrary loan requires library staff to search for an owning library for a title in response to a patron request. Often patrons do not know which, if any, library owns the item they need. Traditional ILL requires more staff expertise and usually requires more time to complete a transaction. Nonreturnables as well as returnables are supplied through traditional ILL.
More info:
Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States
Prepared by the Interlibrary Loan Committee, Reference and User Services Association, 1994, revised 2001. Approved by the RUSA Board of Directors January 2001.
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