Interlibrary Loan

Select the best method for requesting a specific title or article in this priority order:

1. Search your local  library or automated network's catalog.  If the item is available for loan, place a hold/request and notify the patron when the item arrives.
2. Check if the item is available in other in-state libraries. (You can also use WorldCat to help identify items owned by LORI member libraries).  
3. Use the LORI ILL Request form to request from libraries found in #2 above.
4. Contact the Resource Sharing Contact for the LORI supplying library directly if the request is not answered in 3 business days.
5. If the requested item is not owned/available in a LORI library, pursue the request through the OLIS ILL Clearinghouse. Search WorldCat for the item. You will need to create a free account to access the full database. Verify format, publisher, edition, etc.
6. Enter the library details and bibliographic information from the WorldCat record (including the OCLC number) into the OLIS WorldCat ILL Request Form. Note: requests for items available in LORI Libraries will be declined and the library will be asked to submit through LORI (see #3). If an item requested through the OLIS ILL Clearinghouse is owned but not loanable, please indicate in the notes field of the form.
7. Review and submit the form. The library will receive confirmation of the form submission immediately.
8. Email OLIS ILL Clearinghouse if you do not receive a copy of the official ILL request within 2 business days.
9. Promptly email OLIS ILL Clearinghouse the item's title and ILL request number when the item is received.
10. Promptly email OLIS ILL Clearinghouse the item's title and ILL request number when the item is returned.
11. Renewals: If you need to renew a LORI item, contact the supplying library at least 48 hours before the original due date. Request renewals for ILL Clearinghouse items by emailing the OLIS ILL Clearinghouse.
12. To return items, pack and label accordingly and follow normal LORI delivery procedures. Return OLIS Clearinghouse items the same way they were shipped. 
13. Maintain counts of items received from other libraries (in-state and out-of-state) to report fiscal year ILL statistics in the Resource Sharing LORI Certification. 

Libraries participating in ILL with their own OCLC subscription will want to create new custom holdings groups in OCLC WorldShare to identify and favor MA libraries participating in the RI-MA Interstate Delivery Service.

Refer to Interlibrary Loan Best Practices and the LORI Resource Sharing Working Group LibGuide for additional resources.

For procedures and documentation about RI-MA interstate delivery for resource sharing, please see Interstate Delivery Service on Delivery.

1. Check for incoming requests daily and respond promptly.
   (Request should arrive through the library's ILL email account. Notify OLIS if the ILL email for your library is incorrect).
2. Verify the availability of the material requested. If available and:
   • the request was received via an automated network, ship and process the material according to local procedures.
   • the request was received via a non-automated network, ship the item with a copy of the request and the due date.
3. If not available and:
   • the request was received via an automated network, transfer the hold manually to the next supplying library, or cancel the request if no additional copy is available.
   • the request was received via a non-automated network, manually forward the request to the next supplying library specified by the requesting library. If there is no additional supplying library, notify the requesting library's Resource Sharing Contact that the item is not available.
4. Respond to renewal requests within 3 business days. If the supplying library fails to respond, the loan period is automatically extended.
5. Maintain counts of items loaned to other libraries to (in-state and out-of-state) to report fiscal year ILL statistics in the Resource Sharing LORI Certification.  

Refer to Interlibrary Loan Best Practices, ILL Welcome Packet and the LORI Resource Sharing Working Group LibGuide for additional resources.

For procedures and documentation about RI-MA interstate delivery for resource sharing, please see Interstate Delivery Service on Delivery.

The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) is a member of the Ocean State Libraries (OSL) consortium and may issue an OLIS Library Card to school libraries for interlibrary loan purposes. Review eligibility and apply at OLIS Library Card Policy.