STUDENT (British): Good morning. Um…is this the Interlibrary Loans desk?
LIBRARIAN (British): You’re in the right place. How may I help you?
STUDENT: I need to get some material for a research paper I’m working on. My advisor gave me a few sources, but none of them are in the library catalogue.
LIBRARIAN: Okay. Well, the first thing I’ll need to know is if you’re a graduate or an undergraduate student?
STUDENT: I’m an undergraduate student finishing up my last year.
LIBRARIAN: That won’t be a problem then. Interlibrary loans are generally limited to graduate students, but we make exceptions for undergraduates in their fourth year.
STUDENT: Oh good.
LIBRARIAN: So, what kind of materials are you looking for?
STUDENT: A journal article and a book.
LIBRARIAN: All right. You can fill out a request for those items online. And...uh...since you’re an undergraduate student, you’re required to have authorisation from your supervisor.
STUDENT: What kind do you need?
LIBRARIAN: They just need to send us an e-mail from their university e-mail account authorising the request. We can’t process anything until we receive that e-mail.
STUDENT: I’ll ask my supervisor for that today.
LIBRARIAN: Great. Once the request is processed we’ll send a notification to your university e-mail stating when the book should arrive. You’ll be able to pick it up here at the interlibrary loans desk.
STUDENT: How much time will it take?
LIBRARIAN: That depends, since the book must be posted from the lending library, but it usually takes about a week.
STUDENT: What about the journal article?
LIBRARIAN: Since the journal article will be delivered electronically you should receive it fairly quickly…in about 5 days. It’ll also be sent to your university e-mail. The article will probably come from the British Library, so be sure to look for that in the subject line of your inbox. Once you receive the file, you have 14 days to open it.
STUDENT: What happens to the file after 14 days?
LIBRARIAN: The file will self-destruct. Now, it’s important that you print the article as soon as you open it. You’ll only be able to print it out once.
STUDENT: Okay.
STUDENT: Is it possible to check the status of the request while I wait?
LIBRARIAN: Certainly. You can check the status anytime by logging onto our site, or you can contact us directly.
STUDENT: Terrific. Um…is there a charge for the service?
LIBRARIAN: There is a small charge, yes. It’s £3 for each item.
STUDENT: Oh…that’s not so bad. So, how long can I keep the book once I get it?
LIBRARIAN: Typically, loan periods last 4 weeks. You will be informed of the due date when you are notified that your item has arrived.
STUDENT: I see. I was wondering…if I need the book for a longer period, will I be able to renew it?
LIBRARIAN: Yes, that’s possible. The fee is £1. Make sure you do so before the due date though. Otherwise, you won’t be able to renew the book and you’ll start to incur late fees.
STUDENT: I understand, don’t worry. I remember having to wait for a book last year that was overdue by a month. It was quite frustrating.
LIBRARIAN: Exactly. An overdue book from an interlibrary loan can also jeopardise the university’s ability to borrow books from other libraries, so we kindly ask that you make every effort to get it back on time.
STUDENT: Right. Where do I bring the book back?
LIBRARIAN: You can just drop it off here at the interlibrary loans desk during our hours of operation.
STUDENT: What are the hours?
LIBRARIAN: Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
STUDENT: Got it.
LIBRARIAN: Oh, one more thing. The book will have a label on it that says it’s an interlibrary loan book. Please don’t take it off. If the label isn’t attached when the book is returned it could cause a delay in removing the item from your library account.
STUDENT: I see. I’ll be sure to keep it on.
LIBRARIAN: Great. Any other questions?
STUDENT: Not for the moment. I’ll go make my request online right now. Thank you for all your help.