Interlibrary Loans

Interlibrary Loans helps your library borrow from and lend to partner institutions while keeping requests, shipments, due dates, renewals, fees, and history together. It is a separate main menu because these transactions involve another library, while member issues and returns still use the normal circulation workflow.

Open Interlibrary Loans from the All menu and use the visible workspace sections to move between its activities. On narrow screens, scroll the section navigation horizontally. Your permitted sections and saved Quick menu destinations remain available.

Before you start

• Ask an administrator to grant the ILL permissions required for your role.
• Add at least one active partner library.
• For lending, make sure the selected collection copy is available and is not already issued, reserved, withdrawn, lost, or damaged.
• For a borrowed item that will be issued to a member, link the member and the temporary collection copy used by your library.

Workspace sections

• Borrowing records requests your library sends to another library.
• Lending records requests received from another library.
• Shipments keeps carrier, tracking, dispatch, arrival, delay, loss, and return details.
• Due & Renewals puts upcoming dates, overdue items, returned items awaiting shipment, and renewal decisions in one worklist.
• Fees records borrowing, lending, shipping, handling, replacement, damage, and miscellaneous fees.
• Partner Libraries stores institution and contact details and shows related activity.
• History shows the timestamped action trail.
• Settings controls availability, default periods, renewals, fees, shipment requirements, and notification events.

Use search, status, partner, date, and sorting controls to narrow long lists. The status, partner, and sorting menus show the selected choice with a check mark; keyboard users can open them with Enter or Space, move with the arrow keys, choose with Enter, and close with Escape. Row actions are kept in the Actions menu.

The page header shows the current section and matching record count. Use Refresh to reload the worklist; while it runs, the button shows progress and prevents a duplicate refresh. Choose Add to open the form for the current section. If optional partner or request choices cannot be refreshed, the form still opens so you can review the available fields; refresh the page before saving a record that needs a missing choice. On narrow windows, Refresh and Add move below the title so the controls remain readable and reachable.

Generate and export reports

Choose Reports in the current ILL header to open the ILL report selector. Select the genuine category you need—Borrowing, Lending, Shipments, Renewals, Fees, Partner Libraries, or Activity History—then choose its report and filters. Settings is configuration rather than an operational record, so it has no report action.

Review the summary totals and detailed rows before exporting. Request-based reports include the request ID, item title, linked member, partner library, status, relevant required or expected dates, and recorded fees. Shipment, renewal, fee, partner, and history reports show only fields that belong to those records; a blank value is not inferred from another workflow.

Use Export to create CSV, Excel, or PDF. CSV is suitable for further filtering, Excel preserves a spreadsheet table, and PDF is intended for a readable administrative copy. Cloud setup reports use permitted Cloud records. Local setup reports use the selected Local library and remain separate from Cloud data.

If generation or export fails, keep the current filters, retry once, and then narrow the date range. An empty report means that no records matched the selected section and filters. Staff need permission to view ILL for every included library; exporting never changes an ILL request, fee, shipment, or history record.

Screenshot to add

Add desktop and narrow-window screenshots of the Interlibrary Loans menu and Borrowing worklist.

Do and don'ts

Do

• Add communication notes whenever a partner changes a condition or date.
• Use the shipment record for every physical dispatch and return.
• Check the Due & Renewals worklist daily.
• Record a payment reference when settling a fee.

Don't

• Do not issue an ILL item outside its linked request.
• Do not lend an unavailable collection copy.
• Do not mark a transaction complete while an item, shipment, renewal, or fee still needs attention.

FAQ

Does ILL replace normal circulation?

No. ILL coordinates the library-to-library transaction. Member issue, return, and renewal actions continue through the normal circulation rules and remain linked to the ILL record.

Can I use ILL in a Local setup?

Yes. The Standalone app supports the same main ILL sections in a Local setup. Cloud setup users can also work in Libcodesk WebApp or the Standalone app.

Why is an action unavailable?

The request may be in the wrong stage, ILL may be disabled, a required partner or copy may be unavailable, or your role may not have the necessary permission.