Resource Sharing (Interlibrary Loan) for Individuals

Scope of Service
If the Washington State Library does not own an item that you need, it may be possible to borrow that item from another library via Resource Sharing (Interlibrary Loan or ILL).  The State Library will do limited borrowing for library card holders in the areas of Pacific Northwest history or culture, genealogy, Federal government publications, or Washington State government publications.  The State Library is only able to borrow items from libraries that do not charge a fee for lending materials.  If the only lending library available charges a fee, the State Library will not be able to borrow the item for you.

Library Card
You must have a valid Washington State Library card to use the Resource Sharing service.  If you do not have one, you may apply for a card here.  Please have your card number available before submitting a Resource Sharing request.

Request Methods
Phone or email

Fees
The State Library does not charge for using the Resource Sharing service.

Processing Time
Your request will be submitted to various libraries in order to find a lender.  Your wait time will vary depending on the number of libraries we contact before finding a supplier and the length of time the item is in transit.  Many requests are filled within ten days, but some take longer.

Receipt of Items
Books must be picked up in person at the Circulation Desk.  Microfilm must be picked up at the Reference Desk and used in the library.  Photocopies of articles will be posted to our web server for you to access if you provide us with a valid email address to which to send the link.

Loan Period
The loan period for materials is set by the lending library.  Renewals are granted at the discretion of the lending library.  A lending library may also recall an item at any time, and we must comply.

Limits
Lending libraries may limit the volume and type of materials that they will lend.  Rare materials are almost never lent.  Videos are often not lent.  Newspapers on microfilm are usually lent with the permission for in-library use only.  Some libraries charge a fee for lending materials.  If the only lending library available charges a fee, the State Library will not be able to borrow the item for you.