Resource Sharing
Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery, and MeLCat
For Faculty and Staff -- Students -- Off-Campus Students
NOTICE: Concerning Copyright Restrictions
In using Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad), Document Delivery, or MeLCat, the requester agrees to abide by the fair use guidelines of the copyright law.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
About Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad), MeLCat and Document Delivery Services
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Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
- ILL is essentially the mechanism for libraries to share materials with each other
- ILL is restricted by the US Copyright Law and by individual policies of participating libraries (over 7,500 around the world, though the vast majority of libraries we have access to are in the US)
- WorldCat is the source database for our ILL requests
- Clicking on the "Libraries worldwide that own item" link in WorldCat provides a sense of where an item is available
- SVSU patrons access ILL through the ILLiad system either directly or from database records using our "Find Text" link to ILLiad.
- NOTE: because our library does not loan media (videorecordings, CDs, etc.) through ILL we are not able to borrow those material. Some of these materials are available through MeLCat, however.
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MeLCat
- MeLCat is a parallel ILL system made up of participating Michigan libraries.
- Some of the participating libraries, such as ours, permit visiting patrons to check out materials using their MeLCat accounts (for example, SVSU faculty, staff and students may check materials out directly at Central Michigan University). These libraries are noted on the Participating Michigan Libraries list
- Searches in MeLCat can be initiated by clicking on the MeLCat button in CardCat, or by searching the MeLCat database directly.
- To request an item for delivery to SVSU
- select a record
- click on the "Get this for me" link
- select "Saginaw Valley State University" from the pull down menu
- when prompted for "Your Campus ID#" enter instead your SVSU username
- at the prompt for your password enter your SVSU password
- select a record
- NOTE: MeLCat is not yet able to process requests for articles. Use ILLiad (ILL) to place requests.
- MeLCat is a parallel ILL system made up of participating Michigan libraries.
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Document Delivery
- For SVSU faculty and staff, and for SVSU Off-Campus students the Library provides courtesy delivery of materials we own
- To place a document delivery request use ILLiad as you would for ILL.
- If we own the item we will deliver it to you at no charge (see "Delivery" below).
- If we do not own the item we will order it through ILL
- For extensive research projects please contact ILL first (989.964.4240 or tzantow(at)svsu.edu)
- To place a document delivery request use ILLiad as you would for ILL.
- For SVSU faculty and staff, and for SVSU Off-Campus students the Library provides courtesy delivery of materials we own
What may be requested through ILL or MeLCat
- Books may be requested through either system, though usually MeLCat is faster
- Required class books (textbooks, etc.) may not be requested : it is a violation of the Fair Use clause of the US copyright law
- Articles may only be requested through ILL : MeLCat does not yet support this feature
- Non-print materials (videorecordings, music CDs, audiobooks, software etc.) may not be requested through ILL since we do not loan those materials. However, the different rules that govern MeLCat permit requesting those materials.
- Request what you will use. For extensive research please contact Thomas Zantow first to avoid delays or cancellations.
- The Library reserves the right to refuse ILL service for any reason. Typical refusals in the past have been related to excessive numbers of requests or excessive copyright compliance costs for mutliple articles requested from the same journal title.
Policies
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Lending Library Rights
- Lending libraries reserve the right to lend or not lend materials to us
- Lending libraries reserve the right to recall anything lent to us at any time and we must honor that request
- Lending libraries reserve the right to grant or deny renewal requests. The note "renewals permitted" refers to the policy that *usually* renewals are permitted (some libraries do not permit renewals at all)
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Your responsibilities
- You are responsible for borrowed materials until they are returned in proper condition to the lending library.
- In practice our library assumes responsibility for returning materials to the lending library once we have checked those materials in on the appropriate interloan system
- You are responsible for returning materials by the due date.
- Late materials will be assessed overdue fines
- After two weeks overdue a replacement fee will be assessed to users.
- User accounts will be frozen on all library systems until the materials are returned and/or replacement fees and associated charges are paid in full
- The library reserves the right to refuse interloan services to any users, especially in the case of users who repeatedly return materials late, etc.
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Notification and delivery
- All notification is via email
- If your personal email account bounces notification messages they, and future notifications, are sent to your SVSU account
- Articles are delivered electronically whenever possible
- All other material must be picked up at the Library Circulation Desk unless otherwise notified.
- NOTE: Off-Campus Students will have these materials mailed to them. Return postage costs, etc., are the responsibility of the students