Just Because Your Library Doesn't Have It Doesn't Mean We Can't Get It for You

Written by Kirk Johnson, Materials Services Division

Prince William Public Libraries is strongly committed to maintaining a robust public library collection that meets the community's needs and interests. We strive to maintain a collection that is current and relevant, keeping up with new releases, authors, and library products. Keeping the collection fresh and up to date is a dynamic, ongoing process that's never finished.

Unfortunately, no public library can acquire every book published. And very few books are added to the collection permanently. Weeding out old books in poor condition and removing titles that no longer circulate or fill a need is as much a part of maintaining the collection as acquiring new books. While your library almost certainly has something you are looking for, we might not have everything you need—particularly older titles or items of specialized or regional interests.

Fortunately, libraries have long had the option of borrowing books and journal articles from other institutions. "Interlibrary loan" (ILL) allows a library or library system to borrow books it doesn't own from another institution that does, on behalf of their patrons. Thanks to ILL, we can find books from hundreds of libraries nationwide.

There are limitations to ILL. You cannot make an ILL request for a book we own or books published within the last year. Because these items belong to other institutions, they can only be checked out for four weeks with no renewals. We also charge one dollar a day for overdue fines to ensure we can return these materials to their rightful owners. And while we always seek to find free lenders first, some institutions—particularly large academic and research libraries—charge a lending fee, which we must pass on to the patron.

 ILL is not as fast as placing a hold in our Online Catalog—expect to wait a week or two at least before your book arrives. Requests are placed in "ILLiad," an online software program specifically for ILL, so you will need to register in ILLiad and create an account for interlibrary loan borrowing. For all these reasons, ILL is most often used by people researching family history or some topic of interest. It’s not a good way to get recreational reading material, but if your reading needs go beyond what we have in our collection, it’s good to know we can help you get a copy of what you’re looking for, even if we have to borrow it from other libraries in northern Virginia, or New York City, or Boise, Idaho.

Prince William Public Libraries have offered this service for decades, charging $3.00 for each ILL borrowed. The $3.00 fee was to offset the cost of postage, but beginning March 2024, this fee has been dropped. If you have ever considered using the service for research purposes but the fee discouraged you, consider giving it another look. Click “Interlibrary Loans” to get started.