Interlibrary Loan Policy

Kountze Public Library

     The Kountze Public Library participates in the national interlibrary loan (ILL) program that permits the library to borrow materials for its patrons from other libraries. The library participates in this program as both a lender and a borrower.  We use the Houston Area Library System guidelines for ILL. This interlibrary loan service is available to all patrons of any library whose record is clear of fines and overdue items. The patron requesting to borrow materials from our catalog would need to go to their local library and have their local library contact us. We will not process an Interlibrary loan to individuals.

     Books and photocopies of articles from periodicals not owned by the Kountze Public Library, or that is otherwise unavailable, may be requested for loan through interlibrary loan. This process is limited to the usual procedure outlined by Houston Public Library’s interlibrary loan procedure. We cannot put a definite time of arrival on any ILL since this is strictly dependent on the availability of the material from the lending library. Patrons should always allow at least 30 days to make sure that materials arrive in time for a specific project.

      The Kountze Public Library does not charge for this service, however we do normally request that a borrowing patron contribute a $3.00 postage fee per title, payable at the time of checkout. If two or more titles are mailed in the same package, this can be negotiated. This fee is charged solely to help the library on the cost of postage and not for profit.

Not being able to pay this fee does not mean that we cannot borrow a title, but we may limit the number of titles we can borrow at any one time.  If the patron cannot afford the postage fee, this must be stipulated at the time the request is made.  If a title is borrowed with full knowledge of the patron and is not picked up, we reserve the right to put the postage fee on the patron’s library account for later collection.

       Each ILL will have its own due date and the materials borrowed are time sensitive. Patrons must provide the staff with a valid phone and email address so that the staff can notify the patron when their materials arrive.

      Patrons should exercise good judgment when returning the borrowed materials to the circulation desk. The patron is responsible for specifying to the staff at the desk that they are returning an interlibrary loan book. Patrons should never use the book drop for an Interlibrary Loan return.

     Patrons are responsible for notifying interlibrary loan department of Kountze Public Library renewal is needed on the materials. Some lending libraries will not give renewals on their loaned materials. This action will only be taken in consultation with the patron and alternative sources for service will be suggested if any exist. Requests that staff determine may violate copyright laws will not be accepted.

    We prefer that patrons limit their ILL requests to no more than three titles per year unless the titles are for an ongoing educational project. At times we may deem it necessary to “meter” the number of items referred through ILL when necessary to ensure fair, equitable, and timely service within the constraints of budgeting and staffing.

We cannot loan the following materials in our collection:

·        Reference materials,

·        Texas collection materials (976.4),

·        Classics,

·        Genealogy or Hardin County history,

·        Big Thicket books,

·        GED study materials or driver’s education materials,

·        Materials that are available through normal ILL loan procedures,Kountze Public Library Home

·         Books that are out of print,

·         Books that are part of a series,

·         Books that are under one year from publication date.

·        Audio-visual materials.

     Every attempt will be made to borrow items from libraries that do not charge fees for loaning materials. Fines for overdue materials, replacements and processing costs for lost items, which vary with the lending library, are the responsibility of the patron.