Interlibrary Loan User Policy

Date Approved: 8/6/26 

Effective Date: 8/6/26 

Responsible Position: Vice Provost and Lindseth Family University Librarian and the Associate University Librarian for Collections, Research, and Engagement Services 

Responsible Office/Department/Team: Access and Resource Services Department, Kelvin Smith Library

Related Legislation/Policies:

• Borrower Responsibilities: KSL Policy
• KSL Lending Policy
• KSL ILL Data Retention Policy

Review Period: Annually 

Date of Last Review: 8/6/26 

Relates to: All patrons of the Kelvin Smith Library and eligible borrowers 

Policy Statement

Kelvin Smith Library’s Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service provides access to digital and physical research materials—including books, articles, multimedia, and microfilm—that are not available at Case Western Reserve University or through statewide services such as OhioLINK or SearchOhio. ILL is a mediated requesting process designed to obtain materials unavailable through consortia or electronic resources. Through cooperative agreements with other libraries, ILL enables users to request and borrow materials beyond the library’s own collection. Lending libraries establish the user terms and loan periods, which must be observed by all interlibrary loan patrons. 

Purpose of this Policy

This policy defines the expectations and responsibilities of Kelvin Smith Library Interlibrary Loan (ILL) patrons to ensure fair and equitable access to shared resources. Its purpose is to:

• Maximize accessibility of research materials for all ILL users.
• Promote cost efficiency by reducing losses and damages to borrowed items.
• Support academic success by expanding access to essential scholarly resources. 
• Encourage respectful use and careful handling of materials obtained through ILL services. 

Definitions 

Blocked Account: An active user account which is partially blocked due to one or more excessively overdue ILL loans (beyond a specified period). New physical requests cannot be submitted, but users may view existing PDF deliveries and request eligible renewals on current loans in good standing, as well as contact KSL ILL staff for digital borrowing privileges. Full privileges are restored upon resolution. 

Disavowed account: A user account that has been disabled or suspended by the library, preventing the individual from logging in or submitting new requests.

Home Library: The library that a patron uses, requests materials from, and to which they return borrowed items. 

Interlibrary Loan (ILL): A mediated service that allows library users to borrow materials from other libraries when the desired item is not available at CWRU or via the OhioLINK consortium.

ILL Patron: Kelvin Smith Library patrons (staff, students and faculty), including library patrons at outside institutions that employ interlibrary loan services.

OhioLINK: The Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK) is Ohio’s statewide academic library consortium, serving 116 libraries at 87 institutions plus the State Library of Ohio.

Search Ohio: a consortium of Ohio public libraries that allows cardholders to borrow items from member libraries across the state through a single online catalog.

The Policy 

Eligible users will access Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services through the Kelvin Smith Library ILL website portal. This policy applies to ILL patrons of KSL, which serves the students, faculty, and staff of: 

• College of Arts and Sciences
• Case School of Engineering
• Weatherhead School of Management
• CWRU Central Administration Office 

The following libraries maintain their own Interlibrary Loan policies, separate from Kelvin Smith Library. If you are affiliated with these CWRU schools or departments, please consult the appropriate library directly for ILL services: 

Cleveland Health Sciences Library

• School of Medicine
• School of Nursing
• School of Dental Medicine
• All Health Science Related Departments 

Ben C. Green Law Library 

• School of Law 

Lillian F. & Milford J. Harris Library

• Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences 

ILL Patron Responsibilities

• Eligibility
  • Patrons must create interlibrary loan accounts with the library that serves their respective school
    • CIM students contact CIM’s ILL Library Service Page
    • CIA students contact CIA's Library Services Homepage
    • Cleveland Clinic & University Hospitals residents
• Due Diligence
  • Check the CWRU Library Catalog and OhioLINK Catalog before submitting an ILL request.
  • Verify journal availability through the CWRU e-journals Portal prior to requesting articles. ○ Avoid creating duplicate requests for the same item.
• Item Condition & Care
  • Do not remove wrapping, labels, or markings placed by the lending or receiving library. 
  • Protect items from damage and avoid exposure to harmful elements.
  • Ensure items are not misplaced while in your custody.
• Returning materials
  • Return items by the due date set by the lending library.
  • Items may be recalled at any time by the lending institution.
• Fees and Fines
  • Patrons are responsible for fees related to overdue, lost, or damaged items, as well as return shipping costs (particularly for distant borrowers).
  • Institutions borrowing from KSL that lose or misplace items may be subject to the KSL Lending Policy and incur a replacement fine. 
• Restrictions 
  • Adhere to all lending library policies, including restrictions such as in-library use only or non-renewal.
  • Library Use Only items must remain in Kelvin Smith Library. Staff will record usage times. Removal of restricted items from the building will trigger a recall notice. Repeated infractions may result in ILLiad account restrictions. 
• Copyright Compliance 
  • Patrons responsible for avoiding copyright infringement (e.g., copying entire works).
  • Some articles, particularly from European libraries, may only be supplied as single printed copies and cannot be further reproduced or disseminated.
• Course reserves
  • ILL materials may not be used for course reserves. ILL is intended for individual research only. 

Loan Terms for Physical and Digital Materials

• CWRU Thesis loan oversight is through the CWRU libraries Archives department.
• Limits: No maximum number of ILL items per user.
• Loan Periods: Set by the lending library; renewals are subject to their approval. Restrictions may include library-use only, no photocopying, and no renewals.
• Overdue Notices:
  • 5 days before due date (renewal option available)
  • 1 day overdue
  • 7 days overdue (blocked status warning)
  • 14 days overdue (blocked status applied) 
• Blocked Patron Access to Digital Lending: Blocked patrons may submit requests for non-returnable items (digital) by emailing Interlibrary Loan staff. Blocked patrons are unable to create new requests in ILLiad, so Interlibrary loan staff will create requests and deliver articles manually. This is a courtesy accommodation granted by ILL staff and subject to periodic review.
• Institution to Institution Lending (KSL to outside institutions): KSL internal loan periods are one year from checkout date. Institutions have one month loans with a single renewal of two weeks.
• Delivery Times
  • Returnable items: Delivery may take several days to weeks.
  • Articles and other non-returnable items: Delivery may range from hours to weeks depending on the lending library’s scanning and access capabilities.
  • Electronic PDFs: Available for download for 30 days from notification date.
• Contact & Notifications
  • Patrons will be notified when items are ready for pickup or if unavailable.
  • Notifications should be acted upon promptly.
  • Items left on the ILL hold shelf for more than 10 business days will trigger a reminder email. 

ILL Borrowing Institution Responsibilities 

General 

• All applicable user replacement, lost or damaged policies as described above.
• Staff reserve the right to not circulate items at their own discretion, such as should the material be brittle or fragile.
• Renewals will be granted at the discretion of library staff.
• Returnable items have a lending period of thirty days with up to one renewal period of up to two weeks.
• Lending turnaround time will vary based on University schedule, staff availability, and request volume.
• Non-circulating materials include Periodicals, Library Use Only, Reserve Materials, Special Collections, Remote Storage (KSL Depository), Theses & Dissertations (outside the U.S. or Canada) and certain Kulas music collection items, including the following:
  • Oversized scores
  • Music reference 
• CWRU thesis loan oversight is through CWRU Archives department.  

Shipping 

• Returnable items loaned domestically are sent via United States Postal Service or Priority Dispatch courier.
• Tracking information is not provided for items loaned domestically.
• Returnable items loaned internationally are sent via FedEx and additional charges apply 
• Non-returnable items are sent via Odyssey or Article Exchange.
• OhioLINK member and reciprocal institutions will be exempt from returnable and non-returnable service fees.
• Ohio institutions (non-OhioLINK members) will be exempt from returnable service fees and responsible for non-returnable service fees.
• Institutions outside of Ohio will be responsible for returnable and non-returnable service fees. 
• Any non-exempt institution that does not use IFM is subject to a $3.00 surcharge for invoice processing.
• Accepted forms of payment include: IFM, IFLA Voucher, Check (for payment of invoices).