If your library does not own the book you want, ask whether it can request the book through interlibrary loan. The service lets one library obtain material from another for a reader. Availability, costs and borrowing conditions depend on the libraries involved. [1, 2]
That possibility is easy to miss when a catalog search produces nothing. An empty result looks wonderfully final. The computer has spoken. Apparently your interest in a particular garden designer, local history or long-forgotten craft must end here.
It may simply be time to ask a librarian a slightly different question.
The shelf extends beyond the building
Interlibrary loan is a practical arrangement between institutions. The American Library Association describes its purpose as obtaining requested material that is unavailable at the user’s local library. [1] You start with your own library, rather than personally negotiating with a distant collection.
This can be particularly appealing when you want to investigate a subject before deciding how much money or shelf space to give it. Perhaps you are curious about restoring a chair. Perhaps an older book is mentioned in a documentary. You want a closer look, not necessarily permanent ownership.
Bring the librarian a good clue
Write down the title and author. If you have an ISBN, edition or publication year, bring that too. Denver Public Library’s request system accepts this kind of identifying information and also offers a route from WorldCat, a catalog of library holdings. [2]
A useful opening is: “I could not find this in our catalog. Is there a partner-library service or interlibrary-loan option?” If you need a particular edition, say why. If any edition would do, say that instead. It gives the person helping you something concrete to work with.
You do not need to disguise your interest as serious research. Wanting to understand one thing more clearly is a perfectly understandable reason to ask about a book.
Check the small print before saying yes
Denver Public Library says most requests are filled within two weeks and asks readers to check its own catalog and Prospector before submitting a request. Those estimates and routes are local examples, not a promise about every library. [2]
Before placing your request, ask four ordinary questions: Could there be a charge? Where would I collect or read it? How long might it take? What are the return and renewal rules? If a fee is possible, state the amount you are willing to pay, including zero.
A catalog listing does not guarantee that an item will be lent. Denver explicitly notes that libraries decide which materials and formats they will supply. [2] So if the first route closes, ask whether there is a reference copy, another edition or a suitable alternative to explore.
One request is a good beginning
Think of a book you have hesitated to buy because the price felt ambitious for a question you were still forming. Look for it locally, then ask about the next route.
You may still decide to buy your own copy later. You may discover that three chapters answered everything. Either outcome gives you more information to make the choice.
And there is a particular pleasure in a book arriving because somebody, somewhere, checked a shelf on your behalf. The building you walked into turns out to have more doors than you could see.
Keep exploring
Explore the FREEDOM Neighborhood →
Make room for a first attempt →
Research references & image credit
Photograph by Polina Zimmerman / Pexels, used under the Pexels license. Illustrative library scene, not a photograph of a specific interlibrary loan.
