We request items from other libraries in our local group, from libraries in the state of Illinois and very occasionally request articles from across the world. If another library has that item available and the item is not too new, they will send it to us.

A special delivery service distributes inter-library loans across the state of the Illinois. We ship and receive buckets of books and media 5 times a week. When you are done with the item, you can return it to us and we will return the item to its home library. Easy, right?

Local Inter-Library Loans

PrairieCat

Our local library group is huge. It covers the area stretching out to the Mississippi river, up to the Wisconsin border and down to around Kewanee, IL. Last year we borrowed about 12,000 items from this group. This is always the group that we check first.

You can search, place holds and check your account for this group through this link for Vega.

Statewide Inter-Library Loans

WorldCat | ILL Ordering

If an item you are looking for is not in the local catalog (Vega) & more than 3 months old, then the next step is to try ordering from the statewide catalog. Last year we borrowed about 200 items through this system.

• WorldCat is a worldwide catalog that includes thousands of libraries and millions of items.
• ILL Ordering is the portion of the local catalog that allows you to submit a request for an item that is not in our system.

Try using the three links above to order inter-library loans for yourself. If you get lost or have a question, please contact the library for help.

Worldwide Inter-Library Loans

Items that are ordered from outside of the state of Illinois are extremely rare. If you did not find your item in the the local or statewide ordering system, please contact the library for assistance with creating a worldwide inter-library loan.