Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a service through which library materials or copies of the materials are made available to one library by another upon request. Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Library provides an interlibrary loan and document delivery service to its patrons, aiming to obtain, upon request of a library patron, books and copies of journal articles or other materials not available in the Library.
The purpose of this document is to outline the ILL service guidelines that apply to patrons of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Library. If necessary, the policy shall be reviewed and updated by the Library.
The following terms shall be deemed to have the meaning as set forth below:
• CALIS – abbreviates for China Academic Library and Information System, a public service system that provides resources sharing among academic libraries in mainland China.
• Item(s) – refer to book(s) and/or other types of materials for academic use.
• Library – means Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) Library.
• Other libraries – refer to libraries as CALIS members as well as libraries that have signed service agreements with XJTLU Library
• Patron(s) – refer to university staff and students who are eligible to use the Library’s services.
An interlibrary loan request is usually initiated by submitting a request in the CALIS interlibrary system while filling out the interlibrary loan request form is an alternative way. Patrons should provide the fullest possible details of the items requested. If a patron fails to provide the required information, the request may be delayed or failed.
The Library aims to process patrons request within 2 working days but is unable to guarantee a supply time as this is outside the Library’s control. The procedures of the interlibrary loan service can be found in the Appendix.
The Library cannot guarantee to obtain all requested items. Some items may not be widely available for interlibrary loan because of the policies and lending conditions of other libraries. Items which may not be able to be borrowed through interlibrary loan include:
• Books including textbooks published within the past two year – suggestion for a purchase shall be made for these items
• Items available in the Library, including items on loan or on order
• Some categories of materials with high local demand, such as DVDs and software
• Some rare, manuscript or fragile items
a. Use Conditions & Loan Period
• Patrons who have previously failed to return, and/or failed to return on time repeatedly, damaged or lost interlibrary items shall be disqualified from using ILL service.
• Patrons must abide by the use conditions placed on the interlibrary loan item, either by the Library or the supplying library. In some circumstances the item will only be available for use within the Library.
• Where the patron is permitted to take the interlibrary loan item home, the patron must return the item by the due date so that it can be returned to the supplying library on time. Otherwise, overdue fees may be charged.
• Requests for loan extensions on interlibrary loan items must be made before the due date. Any loan extension is at the discretion of the supplying library.
b. Payment of Fines
• Patrons are responsible for the payment of any overdue fees charged by the supplying library for late return of interlibrary loan items.
• Patrons are responsible for the payment of any fees assessed by the supplying library for the loss or damage of interlibrary loan items in their borrowing period.
c. Pick-up of the Interlibrary Loan Items
• Patrons will be informed of the arrival of the interlibrary loan items by email. For loaned books or photocopies, patrons shall get the items from the Library Service Counter located on Level 3 inside the Library. For electronic items, patrons shall get them from email attachments.
• Patrons who repeatedly fail to pick up the inter-library loan items upon notifications may lose interlibrary loan privileges.
d. Interlibrary Loan Bags
• The interlibrary loan bags provided by the Library are used for delivery of the interlibrary loan books or photocopies. The bags must be returned back to the Library together with the interlibrary items.
• Patrons are responsible for the payment of any fees assessed for the loss or damage of the interlibrary loan bags.
A service fee of 2.00 CNY is charged for each interlibrary loan item. This fee is not refundable, even if the Library is unable to obtain the requested item(s).
Other charges may apply in accordance with the actual fee levied by the supplying library for the interlibrary loan service. The Library will not levy any additional fees. Standard fees and overdue charges of the main supplying libraries are indicated as below (for reference only). The terms below may change corresponding to the policy revisions in supplying libraries.
a. National Library of China
• Book loan: 48.00 CNY per book with a loan period of 30 days (including shipping time, renewal once for 15 days); 5.00 CNY per day for overdue fines
• Photocopy: 0.40 CNY per page + binding fee + shipping fee
• Scanning: 10.00 CNY for items with no more than 10 pages, and 0.50 CNY per page for the excess pages
b. Shanghai Library
• Book loan: 23.00 CNY per book with a loan period of 45 days (including shipping time, no renewal); 0.50CNY per day for overdue fines
• Photocopy: 0.20 CNY per page for A4 and B5 size, 0.40 CNY per page for A3 size + binding fee + shipping fee
• Scanning: 1.00 CNY per page for A4 size; 10.00 CNY per picture
c. Other University Libraries
• Photocopy, scanning: 0.30 CNY per page
• Urgent service: 10.00 CNY per item
d. Overseas Libraries
• Journal article: 120.00-150.00 CNY
• Book copy: no less than 500.00 CNY
The Library provides subsidies to the patrons which can only be used to cover the service charges. The subsidy is allocated once per academic year on September 1st. By the end of the academic year which is August 31st, the provided subsidy shall be withdrawn and new round of subsidy shall be allocated. The standard of the subsidies is indicated below:
Other libraries may request interlibrary loans from XJTLU Library by directing requests to the Library’s Interlibrary Loan Service.
a. Loan Period
• Loans are provided for a period of 30 days. The items cannot be renewed.
• Overdue notices will be issued to requesting libraries when items are not returned on time.
b. Fees & Fines
Based on the standard fees and charges of other university libraries in CALIS as listed above, the charge of fees:
• Book loan: 20.00 CNY service fee per book + shipping fee
• Photocopy, scanning: 0.30 CNY per page.
The requesting library shall be responsible for the fee occurred due to any loss of or damage to an interlibrary loan item.
