Eligibility
The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service is available to anyone with a Halifax Public Libraries borrower’s card with full borrowing privileges.
Borrowers who habitually return items overdue or fail to follow requirements (including not paying ILL charges, fines, photocopy charges, failure to pick up, or not paying replacement/damage costs) may incur the suspension of ILL privileges.
The ILL Librarian or his/her supervisor has authority to suspend or reinstate privileges.
Requests from Halifax Public Libraries Borrowers
The following materials are available through the ILL service:
Books in regular or large print format
- Archival materials on microform
- Articles from magazines and journals
- Audio books on CD
- Playaway machines, within Nova Scotia public libraries, for people who are visually impaired.
- Music CDs
- Feature and non-fiction films on DVD
- National Film Board of Canada (NFB) videos and DVDs
- Videos and DVDs from the Special Needs Parenting Collection
- Materials available from CELA (Centre for Equitable Library Access)
- Audio CDs of books and magazines in DAISY format
- Described movies in DVD or VHS format
- Braille Books
- PrintBraille books
The following materials are not available through the ILL service:
- Books published within the last twelve (12) months
- Material that is currently On Order in our catalogue.
- Materials outside of Canada
- Magazines and journal issues
- e-Books
- Borrowers may have a maximum of five (5) active requests at any one time.
Use of Materials
Materials may be picked up at any branch of the Halifax Public Libraries. Some materials may only be available for use within the library.
Microform materials will be available only at Halifax Central Library where microform readers are available. Microform materials are available for in-house use only.
ILL materials do not qualify for vacation, institutional, overnight, or special loan periods.
Materials must be picked up within 7 business days.
Renewals of materials may be possible, depending on the lending library’s loan policies.
Fines and Fees
Halifax Public Libraries does not charge for interlibrary loans. Any charges levied by the lending libraries will be passed on to the borrower.
Charges for ILL materials must be paid at the time of pickup.
Borrowers are responsible for all ILL materials borrowed on their library card, including proper care and control of items in their possession even when in use within the library. If materials are lost or damaged, the borrower is responsible for all repair or replacement costs in accordance with the policies of the lending library.
Fines for overdue ILL material will be $2.00 per day to a maximum of $10 per item.
Fine free borrowers using the ILL service will not be charged overdue fines. However, fine free borrowers are still responsible for paying any charges levied by the lending libraries including borrowing, repair, and replacement costs.
