Interlibrary loans bring books from far and wide

A friend asked me to check to see if we have a book on a medical condition she has. It is an uncommon diagnosis. In fact, I had never heard of it until she told me about it. I searched the online catalog and each of the digital services in The Digital Library. Nada.

It turns out that there are quite a few books written about his topic, but since so few people in our local area would read them, they don’t make it into our collection. It is unlikely that we would order it just for one person because it wouldn’t get checked out much, if at all, after she was finished with it.

Interlibrary loan to the rescue! The interlibrary loan service is a partnership between libraries all over the country that allows patrons to borrow library materials that are not in their local library’s collection. Most libraries participate, including academic, medical, and other special libraries.

“I get a lot of requests from the University of Idaho Library and even got one recently from a sports museum in Virginia,” Interlibrary Loan Clerk, Vanessa Thiele told me.

It may sound like magic, but here’s how Interlibrary Loan works: a patron submits a Materials Request Form. The collection manager for that item determines whether the item is to be purchased or not. If not, the form is given to Vanessa T. to process. She searches for the title in a special interlibrary loan database that is synced with the catalogs of participating libraries. Once a title is located, she orders it and the lending library pays for the postage to send it to our library. When it arrives, the patron is notified and checks it out. When they return it, our library pays for the postage to send it back.

The next time you wish you could borrow an item that is not in our collection, give interlibrary loan a try. In most cases, we can find it.

Vanessa says “If you request it, it will come.”

EVENTS: Check our website Events Calendar for our schedule of digital events at www.ebonnerlibrary.org.

StoryWalks™ - The June titles have just been installed; at Dover City Park enjoy “Wolf The Bunny” by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora and at McNearny Park in Ponderay, experience “The Wolf’s Chicken Stew” by Keiko Kasza.

Now seeking volunteer remote tutors and students for all subjects. Students need more help than ever since school ended early this year. Call Mike Bauer for more information: (208)265-2665 or mike@ebonnerlibrary.org.

* Get A Meal – Give A Meal is a community initiative organized by 350Sandpoint.org and other community groups, including The Library, that partners with local restaurants to provide meals for local families who have been impacted by the pandemic. For more information visit www.350Sandpoint.org.

Marcy Timblin is in charge of public relations, marketing & community development for the East Bonner County Library District. She can be reached at 208-208- 208-208-263-6930, ext. 1204.