Frequently Asked Questions

Currently, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests are not visible on our website, but you can view your processed requests or ILL items you have checked out by logging in to our Classic Catalog here. 

Any Las Vegas-Clark County Library District resident

• with a valid, unexpired library card
• whose account shows no overdue items
• and owes less than $10 in fines or fees

may use the Library District's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service.

Borrowers who are not Las Vegas-Clark County Library District residents should submit their requests directly to their own Library District. They may request ILL services from the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, but they

• will be charged a $25-per-item non-refundable fee
• must agree to pay any additional fees assessed by the lending institution
• will be subject to the same eligibility requirements as residents (listed above)

• Books, conference proceedings, and dissertations
• Photocopies of newspaper and magazine articles
• Obituaries
• Some reference and genealogical materials but only if the lending library will lend them
• Microfilm

To cancel an ILL request, please contact the ILL office at: 702.507.6306 or ill@thelibrarydistrict.org.

If the item has been shipped by the lending library we will be unable to cancel the request until the item arrives. Please note that the item will remain attached to your account until it arrives, and will be counted as one of your five active requests.

Interlibrary loan materials cannot be renewed. You are responsible for any overdue fines or fees incurred if an item is kept past the due date.

Please note: Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests are not visible on our website, but you can view your processed requests or ILL items you have checked out by logging in here. 

Books are obtained via WorldCat. Please note that we are unable to process ILL requests for items we own. Follow the steps below to place an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) book request.

1. Click the Book Request link and enter your library card number and PIN
2. Click on the WorldCat.org, opens a new window link
3. Select the Books tab and enter your search term(s)
4. Select your book and view the libraries owning a copy based on your zip code. If Las Vegas-Clark County Library District is not listed, the item can be requested.
5. Review the item details to ensure this is the item you want. Please pay special attention to the "Edition/Format" field. This tells you the format of the item, i.e. large print, regular book, etc.
6. Once you have found your book in WorldCat, enter the author's name, title of the book, place and date of publication, ISBN number (if applicable), and the OCLC number for the book on the ILL request form.
7. Is an alternate edition acceptable? Enter 'yes' or 'no' in the corresponding box to help us find your item.
8. Would you still like the item if it can only be used in the library? Enter 'yes' or 'no' in the corresponding box to let us know.
9. Enter a need by date if you need it by a certain date (it will take at least 2-3 weeks, and up to 4 weeks to obtain the item).
10. Click Submit This Request

It can take up to four weeks to receive an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) item. There are many factors that influence this including location of the lending library, method of shipment, etc. Most libraries ship items via the US Postal Service.

Some materials (genealogy, local history, reference, microfilm, rare items, etc.) may be difficult to obtain. It may take longer than four weeks to receive these types of items.

Checkout periods are determined by the lending library. There may also be additional limitations required by the library which may include "In library use only".

Please make every effort to return the items by the due date. Overdue charges accrue on materials borrowed through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) at the rate of $.25 per day per item until is the item is returned. If a long overdue ILL item is returned after the Library District has paid the lending library for the item, we are unable to waive the cost of the item. Customers are responsible for all fines and fees assessed in this case.

Interlibrary Loan notifications are sent via email.  If you do not have an email address on file, please check My Account for the status of the request.

Email notification that an ILL item is 'In Transit' from the ILL office to your home library will be sent once the item has been processed.  Please check with your home library 2-3 days after you receive this notification as our system is unable to generate a second notification. 

If the ILL office is unable to obtain the requested item, notification that the request has been cancelled will be sent via email.

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) office can be reached by phone at: 702.507.6306 or by email at ill@thelibrarydistrict.org.

Office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

If there is an account balance of $10 or more, or the account already has 5 active Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests, you will be unable to place a request for ILL materials.

Our Library District is accountable for the materials borrowed from other libraries; our privilege of borrowing materials from them may be jeopardized if items are damaged or lost.

Customers are responsible for damage/loss of ILL items which may include a processing fee. If an item is damaged or lost, please notify the ILL staff at 702.507.6306 or ill@thelibrarydistrict.org. ILL staff will contact the lending library and provide you with the amount owed.

Lost or damaged ILL bookstrap will result in a $3 charge.

Borrowing privileges with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District will be suspended until all related fees are resolved. Multiple instances of lost or damaged ILL items may result in the loss of ILL privileges.

Unpaid balances for lost or damaged ILL items may be referred to a collection agency; in these cases, a $10 nonrefundable fee will be added to the account.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) items are picked up at your home library. Our courier service may take several days to deliver an item from the central ILL processing center to your home library; we recommend calling the home library to ensure the item has arrived and is 'Ready for Pickup'.

ILL items should be returned to the service desk from which they were checked out. We recommend obtaining a return receipt when you return the item. If for some reason the item does not make it back to the ILL office you will need this receipt to show the item was returned. Please leave the ILL bookstrap on ILL items, and return ILL items to the service desk from which they were checked out.

A borrower may have up to five (5) *active requests at any given time.

*Active applies to a request from the time the request form is submitted until the item borrowed is returned to the library.

There is no charge for ILL services for Las Vegas-Clark County Library District residents.

Non-Library District residents will be a charged a non-refundable fee of $25 per item and any additional fees assessed by the lending institution.

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 specific 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.

The Library District reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

If an item cannot be found at WorldCat.org, opens a new window, we suggest you verify the information you have with another source. Try searching for the item at an online store such as Amazon, opens a new window or Barnes & Noble, opens a new window. If it is a new item, it is possible it has not yet been cataloged by a library in WorldCat.

• eMedia such as eBooks or eAudiobooks
• DVDs, compact discs, and sound recordings
• Materials (books, articles, and microfilm) available in local libraries
• Individual issues of magazines and newspapers

Yes, a library cardholder may request a title no more than four times per year.