Frequently asked questions about interlibrary loan for books and sections of books
What is interlibrary loan?
Interlibrary lending - officially known as "Deutscher Leihverkehr" - is a cooperative service provided by libraries in the Federal Republic of Germany for the procurement and delivery of media. It is based on the principle of reciprocity, i.e. every library participates in lending and receiving. The regulations applicable to interlibrary loans are laid down in the"Ordnung der Leihverkehrs in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Leihverkehrsordnung (LVO)". Unlike commercial document delivery services, interlibrary loan does not cover its costs. The receiving library charges each user a flat rate for each order, which is independent of the success of an order (LVO, Annex 5).
What does interlibrary loan offer?
Interlibrary loan offers you the possibility to order media that you cannot find in the holdings of the Paderborn libraries (University Library, Archbishop's Academic Library, City Library) conveniently from any internet access in an external library. As soon as the ordered item is delivered, you will be notified by e-mail and can pick it up at the University Library.
What does an interlibrary loan cost?
The fee for interlibrary loans was set at 1,50 euros by decree of the NRW state government on 8 June 2005. The order fee applies to every order, even if the delivery takes a very long time or if no library from outside the country can carry out the order.
How are interlibrary loan fees charged?
As a convenient method of payment, we offer you billing via your library account. The fee of 1,50 euros per order is automatically entered into your account after you have successfully placed your order.
As an employee of the university, you can alternatively choose internal university billing via transaction numbers (TANs). The TANs are sent by e-mail on presentation of a form or issued at the counter of the Local Lending Department - with a minimum purchase of 10. For each order you need a TAN, which you must enter during the order process. The TAN becomes invalid after the ordering system has accepted your order. If your order is unsuccessful, the TAN cannot be used again.
As the interlibrary loan fee is a reimbursement of expenses, no replacement or refund is possible in case of an unsuccessful order.
How long is the delivery time?
If a book is available in a library in North Rhine-Westphalia, it can usually be delivered in approx. 1-2 weeks. Longer delivery times may occur if the book is delivered from another federal state. To avoid receiving an ordered item at a time when you no longer need it, you can enter a "closing date" in the "Notes on this order" field when ordering, beyond which you are no longer interested in delivery. However, this does not result in faster processing, but only serves to avoid unnecessary deliveries.
How does the book order work?
On our homepage, select "Use and borrow" and under the item "Ordering from other libraries" the item "Interlibrary loan". There you will find a link to the interlibrary loan portal of the digital library (DigiBib hbz) under the heading "Interlibrary loan for books and sections of books". By entering your library card number and your password (identical to the login in the catalogue of the UB Paderborn), you can then log in personally to the interlibrary loan portal of the digital library via "Interlibrary loan for books and sections of books".
Use the search mask to search for the title of the book. Select the desired title from the hit list that is then offered. For each book title, you will see how many libraries have the book and whether it is also available in our interlibrary loan region. If you are offered several hits for the desired title, you should select the hit that also lists holdings for our interlibrary loan region. These holdings usually have the shortest delivery time.
Select whether you want the complete book for loan or a section as a copy. It is possible to order up to 10% of a work as a copy. Click on the button "Select" to go to the order form. Here, further details are required, e.g. whether you also agree to other editions. There may be additional costs for the order, e.g. if more than 20 pages are copied. In this case, please enter the amount up to which you would like to pay the costs.
Furthermore, you can indicate whether the supplier library should make a reservation for you if the ordered item is currently on loan. Please note that reservations may delay delivery.
Finally, select the payment method - settlement via your library account or entry of a TAN.
After pressing the "Order" button, you will receive confirmation from the system that your order has been successfully placed.
If a title consists of several volumes, a separate order is required for each volume.
If you are ordering a newly published title, you may be asked to provide a "Subject Assignment". In this case, a drop-down list with a subject selection will appear in the ordering process. Please assign your order request to the corresponding subject. The UB Paderborn then checks whether the desired medium is also of interest to other users and should therefore be acquired for its own collection. If the decision is positive, the desired medium will be purchased and made available to you.
Can I reserve media in other libraries?
Your book order will first be sent to all potential supplier libraries. If the item is on loan in all libraries, the UB Paderborn can arrange for it to be reserved. A prerequisite for this is your wish to reserve the item, which you confirm with "yes" in the order form. Please note that the delivery of reserved media may be delayed.
How can I order a title that was not found in the catalogue search?
If your catalogue search did not produce a hit, you can enter the title with the bibliographic data in a free order mask. You will find the link to this mask at the end of the search results. Please take into account that the delivery of such a free text order takes longer because a time-consuming processing by library staff is necessary. Complete information is particularly important for such orders; in addition, enter bibliographic references or source references in the field "Notes to your library".
What happens after the interlibrary loan order has been placed?
After your order has been accepted, an algorithm in the Central Interlibrary Loan System determines the order of the delivery libraries. Various factors, such as the delivery volume, are taken into account. If the first library cannot deliver the item you requested, the order is automatically passed on to the next library by the Central Interlibrary Loan Server until your order can be positively completed. The delivery will then be made directly to the UB Paderborn.
Are there any restrictions on the use of interlibrary loan media?
The UB Paderborn must pass on to you all conditions imposed by the supplier library for the use of a medium. For example, the supplier library can only permit use in the reading room or issue a copy ban. You can consult a book that has been banned from copying in the field of the Information Centre (BI1.102) from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15:00 and by appointment with the staff of the Information Centre and Specialist Libraries .
Which media are excluded from interlibrary loan?
The Interlibrary Loan Regulations (LVO § 1.3) stipulate that media are excluded from interlibrary loan if they are
- are available locally - i.e. in Paderborn in the holdings of the University Library (Sigel 466), the Archbishop's Academic Library (Sigel 211) or the City Library (Sigel 736),
- are commercially available at a low price (currently 15,00 euros).
In addition, electronic resources are not available whose use is strictly limited to a university campus or to members and affiliates of a university for (licensing) legal reasons.
For which media can there be lending restrictions?
According to the provisions of the Interlibrary Loan Regulations (LVO § 14), libraries may exclude media from being sent via interlibrary loan, such as:
- Media of special value (especially books published before 1800; digital copies/reproductions are often possible - if necessary against payment),
- media in poor condition (digitised copies/reproductions are often possible - possibly for a fee),
- media of unusual format (digitised copies/reproductions are often possible - against payment if necessary),
- loose-leaf editions and unbound periodicals,
- media not in book form, if they are endangered by shipping due to their nature (e.g. games, large-format maps),
- reading room and reference library collections (e.g. encyclopaedias, dictionaries, bibliographical reference works),
- media that are used particularly frequently at the location.
Please note that orders for such literature are not automatically rejected by the system. As a rule, one of the above-mentioned reasons for rejection will arise when your order is processed later.
As the interlibrary loan fee is a reimbursement of expenses, no replacement or refund is possible in case of an unsuccessful order.
Which media are difficult to procure?
Practice shows that special forms of publication are difficult or impossible to obtain via interlibrary loan, for example:
- New publications which are often already listed as ordered works in library catalogues but have not yet appeared, or are still in a processing status in libraries,
- complete newspaper volumes which cannot be sent out for conservation reasons (delivery may be possible of microfilm recordings of the relevant newspapers),
- complete volumes of periodicals, of which many libraries do not provide interlibrary loans, especially for newer volumes,
- media which are only available in special libraries and can only be used there as reference holdings,
- diploma theses, master's theses, bachelor's theses, examination papers, term papers, etc., which are part of the reference holdings in most libraries,
- television recordings, which are only made available for use within the university.
Please note that orders for such literature are not automatically rejected by the system. As a rule, one of the above-mentioned reasons for rejection will arise when your order is processed later.
Since the interlibrary loan fee is a reimbursement of expenses, no replacement or refund is possible in the event of an unsuccessful order.
How can I cancel an order?
The ordering system does not offer you the possibility to cancel an order yourself. If necessary, please contact the Interlibrary Loan and Digitisation Department. If the processing status of your order allows a cancellation, we can do this for you.
In the case of a cancellation, a replacement or refund of the interlibrary loan fee is not possible, as this is a reimbursement of expenses.
When can I order a medium abroad?
An attempt to order via international interlibrary loan can be made if the order cannot be fulfilled by any German library. In some exceptional cases (e.g. foreign university publications), direct ordering from abroad may be possible. Costs and delivery times in international interlibrary loan vary considerably. For further details, please contact the Interlibrary Loan and Digitisation Department.
Frequently asked questions about interlibrary loan for journal articles
What is interlibrary loan?
Interlibrary loan - officially known as "Deutscher Leihverkehr" - is a cooperative service provided by libraries in the Federal Republic of Germany for the procurement and delivery of media. It is based on the principle of reciprocity, i.e. every library participates in lending and receiving. The regulations applicable to interlibrary loans are laid down in the "Ordnung der Leihverkehrs in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Leihverkehrsordnung (LVO)". Unlike commercial document delivery services, interlibrary loan does not cover its costs. The receiving library charges each user a flat rate for each order, which is independent of the success of an order (LVO, Annex 5).
What does interlibrary loan offer?
Interlibrary loan offers you the opportunity to order articles from journals that you cannot find in the holdings of the Paderborn libraries (University Library, Archbishop's Academic Library, City Library) conveniently from any Internet access in an external library. As soon as the ordered item is ready for collection, you will be notified in the form of your choice.
What does an interlibrary loan cost?
The fee for interlibrary loans was set at 1,50 euros by decree of the NRW state government on 8 June 2005 . The order fee is charged for every order, even if the delivery takes a long time or if no library from outside the country can carry out the order. Additional charges may apply if you order an essay exceeding 20 pages. Please note that a default amount of 8,00 euros is set for the payment of additional costs for essay orders. You have the option of setting this amount to zero or - in the case of very extensive essays - increasing it.
How are interlibrary loan fees charged?
As a convenient method of payment, we offer you billing via your library account. The fee of 1,50 euros per order is automatically entered into your account after you have successfully placed your order.
As an employee of the university, you can alternatively choose internal university billing via transaction numbers (TANs). The TANs are sent by e-mail on presentation of a form or issued at the checkout of the local library - with a minimum purchase of 10. For each order you need a TAN, which you must enter during the order process. The TAN becomes invalid after the ordering system has accepted your order. If your order is unsuccessful, the TAN cannot be used again.
As the interlibrary loan fee is a reimbursement of expenses, no replacement or refund is possible in case of an unsuccessful order.
How does ordering articles from journals work?
On our homepage, select "Use and borrow" and under the item "Ordering from other libraries", select "Interlibrary loan". There you will find a link to the interlibrary loan portal of the digital library (DigiBib hbz) under the heading "Interlibrary loan for journal articles". By entering your library card number and your password (identical to the login in the catalogue of the UB Paderborn) you will then personally log in to the interlibrary loan portal of the digital library via "Interlibrary loan for journal articles".
After entering your search terms, the journal database is searched. Select the desired journal title from the list of hits. After clicking on the "Select" button, you will be taken to the order form. Here you enter all the data for the desired article.
Before submitting the order, confirm that the desired article is for personal, non-commercial or scientific purposes only.
If the ordered essay exceeds 20 pages, you may incur additional costs, depending on the supplying library. In this case, please enter the amount up to which you would like to bear the costs. Finally, select the payment method - billing via your library account or entering a TAN. After clicking on the "Order" button, you will receive confirmation of your successful order from the system.
The essays are usually delivered electronically. You will receive a notification e-mail from us with a download link, which will be available to you for 30 days.
In exceptional cases, paper copies will continue to be delivered, which must be collected during the service hours in the University Library at the desk of the Local Loans Department by presenting your library card. You will be informed by e-mail when the copies are available.
How can I order a title that was not found in the database search?
If your search in the journal database did not produce a hit, you can enter the title with the bibliographic data in a free order mask. You will find the link to this mask at the end of the search results. Please take into account that the delivery of such a free text order takes longer because a time-consuming processing by library staff is necessary. Complete information is particularly important for such orders; additionally enter bibliographic references or source references in the field "Notes to your library".
Which media are excluded from interlibrary loan?
The Interlibrary Loan Regulations (LVO § 1.3) stipulate that media are excluded from interlibrary loan if they are available locally - i.e. in Paderborn in the holdings of the University Library (Sigel 466), the Archbishop's Academic Library (Sigel 211) or the City Library (Sigel 736).
In addition, electronic resources are not available whose use is strictly limited to a university campus or to members and affiliates of a university for (licensing) legal reasons.
Articles from newspapers as well as from journals that are not explicit journals (so-called kiosk journals) may not be delivered via interlibrary loan for copyright reasons according to § 60e UrhWissG.
How can I cancel an order?
The ordering system does not offer you the possibility to cancel an order yourself. If necessary, please contact the Interlibrary Loan and Digitisation Department. If the processing status of your order allows a cancellation, we can do this for you.
In the case of a cancellation, a replacement or refund of the interlibrary loan fee is not possible, as this is a reimbursement of expenses.
When can I order an essay abroad?
An attempt to order via international interlibrary loan can be made if the order cannot be fulfilled by any German library. Costs and delivery times for international interlibrary loans vary greatly. For further details, please contact the Interlibrary Loan and Digitisation Department.