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Interlibrary Loan Policies & Procedures: Overdue & Lost Items

This is a guide to the requirements and policies for using InterLibrary Loan through the New Mexico State Library.

 

What happens with overdue and lost items?

Overdue Items

The system will automatically notify you when your item’s due date is near. You will also receive up to 3 notices once the item is overdue. While we do not charge overdue fees for ILL items, we ask that you return your books promptly so that we can maintain a good relationship with lending libraries so they will continue to lend books to us in the future.

Once an item is 30 days overdue, the lending library will likely generate an invoice for a replacement copy of the item.  The borrowing library is solely responsible for payment of the invoice. The library will be manually blocked by the New Mexico State ILLiad librarian and new requests will not be possible until the borrowing library compensates the lending library. Once the overdue ILL is returned or paid for, the library must notify the ILLiad librarian by sending an email to NMSLInterlibraryLoan@dca.nm.gov to get their interlibrary loan privileges restored. 

Lost Items

According to the ILL policies set up by the American Library Association, the borrowing library is responsible for a borrowed item from the moment it leaves the lending institution until it arrives back. That means that even if the item becomes lost in the mail on its way to you, or after you mail it back to the lender, you are responsible for the replacement cost and processing fee for the book.

Blocked Accounts

Libraries with lost, overdue, or damaged interlibrary loan materials will have their accounts blocked until the lending library receives their materials or are financially compensated. The lending libraries will send invoices to the borrowing library. A copy of the invoice needs to be emailed to the New Mexico State interlibrary loan librarian at NMSLInterlibraryLoan@dca.nm.gov to verify that the interlibrary loan situation has been resolved.