As defined by the Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States, "Interlibrary loan is the process by which a library requests material from, or supplies material to, another library. The purpose of interlibrary loan as defined by this code is to obtain, upon request of a library user, material not available in the user's local library."
This fact sheet has been designed for libraries in the U.S. and Canada. If you are outside of the U.S. and Canada, please see the section on international interlibrary loan below and follow the guidelines set forth by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA <http://www.ifla.org>).
Libraries should follow the Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States, which was prepared by the Interlibrary Loan Committee of ALA's Reference and User Services Association (RUSA, a division of ALA) in 1994, and revised in 2001 (with the revision approved by the RUSA Board of Directors in January, 2001). The full text of the Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States statement appears online and was published in the Summer 2001 issue of the official RUSA journal, the Reference & User Services Quarterly (v. 40 no. 4, pp. 318-319).
The Explanatory Supplement of the U.S. Interlibrary Loan Code also appears online and published in the Summer 2001 Reference & User Services Quarterly (v. 40 no. 4, pp. 321-327).
Most state and regional library networks/consortia and state library agencies have interlibrary loan procedures, and libraries in their service areas should be familiar with these procedures.
Libraries normally transmit requests either electronically (through OCLC or other networks) or using ALA-approved interlibrary loan forms. The interlibrary loan form, sometimes called "the ALA form," can be accessed as an Adobe Reader PDF file as well as a Microsoft Word file (which can be edited). The form can also be purchased in bulk from library supply houses. A list of directories of library product suppliers is available on ALA Library Fact Sheet 9, Library Products and Services.
For more information on interlibrary loan, you may want to consult the following titles:
Boucher, Virginia. Interlibrary Loan Practices Handbook, 2nd ed. ALA, 1996.
Guidelines and Procedures for Telefacsimile and Electronic Delivery of Interlibrary Loan Requests and Materials. ALA, Reference and Adult Services Division, 1994.
Interlibrary Loan Packaging and Wrapping Guidelines. ALA, Reference and User Services Association, 1997.
Higginbotham, Barbara Buckner and Sally Bowdoin. Access Versus Assets: A Comprehensive Guide to Resource Sharing For Academic Librarians. ALA, 1993.
Morris, Leslie R., ed. Interlibrary Loan Policies Directory, 7th ed. Neal-Schuman, 2002.
Loans to Canada are conducted on much the same basis as domestic loans, with slightly different mailing procedures (many Canadian libraries are part of OCLC or other networks).
For more information on ILL in Canada contact:
Interlibrary Loan DivisionAny library may participate in international interlibrary loan activities. When seeking a loan from a library outside the United States and Canada follow the guidelines set forth by the Document Delivery and Resource Sharing Section of IFLA:
Guidelines for Best Practice in Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery.
Latest revision: 15 October 2007
IFLA loan/photocopy request form.
IFLA Voucher Scheme
Payment System for International Interlibrary Transactions
While the service is intended particularly for questions related to IFLA documents and services, questions related to international document delivery and interlending will also be welcome.
International Lending and Document Delivery: Principles and Guidelines for Procedure.
First agreed by IFLA 1954
Major revision 1978, modified 1987
Major revision 2001
Model National Interlibrary Loan Code.
First agreed by IFLA 1983
Revised 2000
February 2008
For more information on this or other fact sheets, contact the ALA Library Reference Desk by telephone: 800-545-2433, extension 2153; fax: 312-280-3255; e-mail: library@ala.org; or regular mail: ALA Library, American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2795.