Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Registered patrons of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) may request materials from participating libraries through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). ILL is a service that many libraries across Texas and the United States provide by exchanging materials with each other for patron use.

Contact your local library to check if ILL services are provided at that location. Texas residents are welcome to visit TSLAC and register to request, pick up, and return ILL materials at our location at 1201 Brazos Street.

Register

Only patrons who have registered or renewed a TSLAC library account with proof of Texas residency are able to place ILL requests. All library accounts must be renewed yearly.

To register or renew a TSLAC library account:

• Visit the Reference Desk at 1201 Brazos Street, Austin, Texas during our public service hours.
• All patrons must present current photo identification showing proof of Texas residency to register or renew an account for ILL services as required by Texas Administrative Code, 13 TAC §2.52 , Patron Registration and Customer Service.
• TSLAC and ILL account login information will be given with a new or renewed registration.

Please allow about 10 minutes to complete this process. Our staff are happy to help you with placing your ILL request during your visit.

Request

• Patrons are limited to no more than 5 requests at a time.
• Patrons are limited to no more than 5 reels of microfilm at a time.
• Patrons are responsible for all ILL items checked out to their library account. Lost or damaged items will be billed to the patron at the discretion of the lending library.
• Patrons must have a working email address. This is the primary method through which staff will contact patrons regarding their requests.
• ILL requests take 2 to 6 weeks to arrive.
• TSLAC staff cannot guarantee that a lending library will loan an item.

Materials

• Patrons may request print items or scans of print items, microfilm, microfiche, audiovisual materials such as VHS tapes, and CD, DVD, or Blu-ray discs.
• Patrons may not request electronic materials such as eBooks, eAudiobooks, or online periodicals through ILL.

Pick up ILLs

• ILL items must be picked up from the Reference Desk. Patrons will need to lock any restricted items in a locker before entering the Reference Reading Room.
• Patrons must present a photo ID in the form of a current state-issued ID or state employee ID.
• Items must be picked up by the requester and not by a proxy (including a spouse, family member, friend, coworker, or courier).

Return ILLs

• Materials must be returned to the Reference Desk by the due date printed on the item label.
• Requests to renew or extend the loan period must be placed with TSLAC ILL staff before the due date. ILL Renewal instructions are provided below.

Contact TSLAC ILL

• Email ill@tsl.texas.gov or call the Reference Desk at 512-463-5455.
• Please provide the title and request number for each ILL request.

ILL Request

1. Are you a registered TSLAC patron? If not, see ILL Policies.
2. Check the TSLAC online catalog . If the item is not available, go to step 2.
3. Go to the TSLAC Texas Armadillo Network catalog . The library logo in the upper left of the screen should say Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
4. Login to Your Account:
   • Click Please Login in the upper right corner of the webpage.
   • Enter your TSLAC Card Number and PIN. Your TSLAC card number is provided to you on your Registration Card. The default PIN is the last four digits of your Texas ID.
   • Click Submit in the bottom right corner of the login screen.
5. Search for items using the basic search or the advanced search.
   • For Article Requests, search by the title of the journal.

5. On the search results page, you may click the icon of a pointing hand in the bottom left corner of the item record or click the image of the item cover.
6. On the item details page, scroll down and click on Request This Item under the image of the item cover.
   • If the notification box Item Owned By Your Library appears, email ref@tsl.texas.gov or call the Reference Desk at 512-463-5455 about access to that item.
7. If you get a Returnable (loan) request form for physical items, scroll down and enter your email in the Patron Contact Email field. You must enter an email to get updates about your ILL request.
8. If you get a Non-Returnable (copy) request form for a periodical or journal, scroll down and complete as many fields as possible.
   • If you only want one article, add details in the Article Author, Title, Volume, Pages, and Date fields.
   • Enter your email in the Patron Contact Email field. You must enter an email to get updates about your ILL request.

9. Add additional details about your request in the Patron’s Notes field, including your response for Conditional Offers. TSLAC ILL Staff will use the information you add in the Patron’s Notes field to reply to lending library conditional offers. Item details and your registration information are automatically already in the form.
10. Click Submit in the bottom right corner to submit your request. TSLAC ILL will send an email when the item arrives in 2 to 6 weeks to the email address you provided in the Patron Contact Email field.

ILL Request Status

After you submit your request, the TSLAC Texas Armadillo Network catalog will list information about where your request is in the ILL process.

1. Go to the TSLAC Texas Armadillo Network catalog .
2. Login to your account.
3. Click Your Account in the upper right corner.
4. In the menu, click Items From Other Libraries under Your Items.
5. You may see all your TSLAC ILL requests and their status on this page.

ILL Conditional Offers

Sometimes a lending library will loan a title only if we agree to certain conditions or will offer the same title in a different format. You may provide answers ahead of time to conditional lending by adding the following to the Patron's Notes field when placing your request:

• Will you accept an item that can only be viewed in the library reading room?
  • If yes, add the note “Yes to In-Library Use Only.”
  • If no, add the note “No to In-Library Use Only.”
• Will you accept a digital scan of specific pages if a lending library cannot send the hard copy?
  • If yes, add a note with the most important page numbers or sections since copyright may limit scanned pages to half of the item’s content or less. “Yes to Scan, and (Example: “please send Table of Contents and chapter 1.” or “please send pages 115-140.”)
  • If no, add the note, “No to Scan.”

If a conditional response is sent and this information is not already in your request, TSLAC staff will contact you at the email provided on your account. You will have three business days after the email is sent to accept or decline lending library conditional offers. No reply during that time frame is considered a “No.”

ILL Due Date

Once the request is received, you may see a list of all ILL items currently checked out to your library account and ILL due dates in Your Account under Items From Other Libraries.

ILL Renewal

Renewals are at the discretion of the lending library. To ask for a renewal before the item is due, send an email to ill@tsl.texas.gov or call the Reference Desk at 512-463-5455 with each title and request number you want to renew. It can take more than one day to hear back from lending libraries. If you do not get confirmation of item renewal and an updated due date, follow the original due date highlighted on the ILL item and your library account.

ILL Request Help

Registered TSLAC patrons can email ill@tsl.texas.gov for help requesting items not found in the TSLAC Texas Armadillo Network catalog . In your email, include your full name and TSLAC card number, and details about the item you are looking for, such as the title (or journal name and article title), author, and publication date. TSLAC staff cannot guarantee that a lending library will loan an item. See the ILL Policies section for more information.

We prefer to receive ILL requests through SHAREit. If your library experiences problems placing an ILL request, please send an e-mail to TSLAC Interlibrary Loan staff at ill@tsl.texas.gov with detailed ILL request information. Responses may take up to 7-10 business days.

Though not a comprehensive list, keep in mind the following items are non-circulating:

• Archival materials
• Paper/archival editions of newspapers
• Texas county tax rolls
• Materials housed at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center (SHC) in Liberty, TX
• Materials owned by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Environmental Research Library .
• The Texas State Library and Archives Commission reserves the right to refuse the loan of items in poor or fragile condition.

The Information Services department of the Archives and Information Services division manages the TSLAC Interlibrary Loan program and can be reached by email at ill@tsl.texas.gov or by phone at 512-463-5455.

The Library Development and Networking division manages the TSLAC Statewide ILL program. Contact Statewide ILL directly with questions about your library’s ILL program or ILL system management.