Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan Procedures

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) offers patrons the opportunity to request and receive materials that are not owned by Handley Regional Library (HRL). ILL provides access to the circulating collections of library systems in Virginia and throughout the United States. ILL materials do not fall under the same borrowing guidelines as materials owned by HRL; varying check-out durations, fees, and special handling may apply. See Interlibrary Loan Policy statement.

Placing an ILL request

  • ILL service is available to anyone holding a current adult HRL card in good standing, with the exception of 3-month or 6-month nonresident cards and Internet-only cards.
  • Patrons may have a total of three (3) requests outstanding at any stage of the ILL process (checked out, requested, in transit) at one time.
  • ILL material will be delivered to the branch library of the patron’s choice. (Unlike HRL-owned materials that can be sent to any branch in the library system, interlibrary loan materials must be picked up and returned to the same location.)
  • Patrons will be contacted when material is available for pickup.  Patrons should allow at least 4 weeks for delivery.
  • Requests may be made in person at the Information Desk (Bowman, Clarke, or Handley), by faxing a completed PDF form to 540-869-9001, or by completing an online request.

Online Form

PDF Form

Materials that may be difficult to obtain through ILL include:

  • Old or rare material
  • Genealogical material*
  • Audio books and DVDs**
  • Entire issues of periodicals
  • Material in high demand
  • Multi-volume sets (please note that each volume is considered one request)
  • Textbooks
  • * Patrons can submit surname information and/or specific pages for photocopying instead or ask for a photocopy of the index or table of contents from the material of interest.

** Patrons should indicate on their request forms if they are willing to accept another format (e.g. videocassette version rather than DVD and audiocassette rather than CD).


Materials that cannot be requested through ILL include:

  • Items currently owned by Handley Regional Library
  • Newly published materials (generally less than one year old)


ILL Fees

The patron is responsible for all fees/fines related to the ILL transaction. There is a $5 fee for each item successfully obtained through interlibrary loan. There may be an additional fee charged by the lending library. Patrons should specify on the request form the maximum additional charge (if any) that they are willing to pay.

Payment is due when the material is picked up. Once an item has been shipped by the lending library, the fee is still the responsibility of the patron even if the patron never picks up the material or tries to cancel the request. If necessary, the fee will be charged to the patron’s library account. The fee will not be charged if the Handley Regional Library is unable to obtain the requested material.

There is an overdue fine of $.25 per day per item.


Restricted Materials

Most materials acquired through ILL can be circulated. Occasionally materials are designated by the lending library as "in library use only." This means that the material must be used in the library and cannot be checked out. Patrons are still responsible for the ILL fee(s).


Microfilm from the Library of Virginia

To expedite a request for microfilm from the Library of Virginia, patrons should locate the needed microfilm using the Library of Virginia’s online catalog and submit a printout of the listing(s) with the ILL request form. Each roll is considered one (1) request.


Loan Period

Because the loan period is determined by the lending library, ILL materials may have a shorter loan period than HRL-owned materials. However, the lending period will never exceed four (4) weeks. ILL materials will not be renewed.


Returning Materials

  • ILL material must be returned to the Information/Reference Desk at the same branch selected for delivery. There is no "claimed returned" status on ILL materials. To ensure proper return, patrons must not remove the lending label (yellow band) from the ILL material nor return ILL material in the book drop.
  • ILL service will be suspended for patrons who abuse the privilege, including those who repeatedly fail to pick up requested ILL material or who fail to return materials properly.
  • The patron is responsible for all charges incurred for an item that is late, lost or damaged. For items not returned, there will be a processing fee of $20 added to the replacement costs charged by the lending library. Unpaid fines and fees will be charged to a patron’s library account and may result in the loss of library privileges if they are not resolved.


Notice: The following contains a warning concerning copyright restrictions that may exist on the materials you wish to borrow. Please read carefully before filling out the form: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyright material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any other purpose than private study, scholarship, or research."
If the user makes a request for, and later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use", that user may be liable for copyright infringement. The fair use doctrine takes into account the purpose of the copying and the amount and extent copied. The Library reserves the right to refuse an order for copies if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order will involve violation of the copyright law.