Boston Public Library Interlibrary Loan

The Interlibrary Loan Department at the Boston Public Library serves as headquarters for interlibrary loan activity in the Boston Regional Library System. The Department receives requests from the six regional libraries in Massachusetts. These libraries send requests on behalf of their member libraries. These libraries send in requests for books and journal articles. They also can send reference and subject requests. The staff of the Interlibrary Loan Department searches for these requests in the catalogs and collections of the Library. If the books are not available in the Library, attempts are made to purchase any that are in print. Staff also search for verification information and holdings information on titles that are not in print. The Library also receives book and photocopy requests from out-of-state and non-public libraries via the OCLC electronic interlibrary loan system and the U. S. mail. Books and photocopies are also obtained from other libraries on behalf of Boston Public Library customers and Boston Regional Member Libraries.