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Interlibrary Loan

Borrow beyond our shelves. If it’s out there, we’ll find it for you.

Through Johnson County Library’s Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service, you can borrow books, audiovisual materials, copies of documents and more from libraries across the country—and even around the world! When we say "and more" we mean literally anything that another library lends—cookware, puppets, vinyl, photograph collections, educational models of things like the inner workings of a human ear. If you're looking for something we don't have, it never hurts to give Interlibrary Loan a try.

How Interlibrary Loans Work 

Get an ILLiad Account (required for Interlibrary Loans.)

Log into ILLiad which is a software system used for managing interlibrary loan (ILL) requests. You can access ILLiad with your Johnson County Library Card number and PIN/password. It's simple:

  1. Login.
  2. Create an Account (if you haven't already.)
  3. Make request.

Use your ILLiad Account to:

  • Search and request items through WorldCat FirstSearch.
  • Track the status of your requests.
  • Modify or cancel requests.
  • Recieve any Digital files you request.

Single Button Module

Login (Illiad Account)

Eligibility

  • You must reside in the Johnson County Library district, which does not include Olathe, KS. Olathe residents, please use Olathe Public Library’s ILL service.
  • The Johnson County Library district includes the following ZIP codes: 66012-13, 66018-19, 66021, 66025, 66030-31, 66083, 66085, 66201-27, 66250-51, 66276, 66282-83 and 66285-86. Read the full policy in Interlibrary Loan – ARM 20-15-60.

Request Limits

  • Up to 15 active requests at a time
  • Requests remain active until materials are returned and cleared

Important:

  • All ILL items arrive with a white tracking band—please don’t remove it. Removing the band may result in a lost item fee.
  • Educators: Requesting multiple copies? Indicate that it’s an Educator Card in the notes so our team knows not to treat them as duplicates.

See "How do I request an Interlibrary Loan?" in the FAQ for step-by-step instructions below.

Interlibrary Loan Rules

Pickup & Returns

Loan Period & Renewals

  • Items are loaned for 3 weeks.
  • No renewals are available.
  • Need more time? Contact us—we’ll place a new request for you.

Processing Time

  • It may take up to 6 weeks for items to arrive.
  • Delays can occur due to shipping or courier service—thanks for your patience!

Fees & Costs

  • Most requests are free—work to find libraries that don’t charge for ILL loans.
  • Some lending libraries charge fees—we’ll always ask you first to make sure that's OK by you before placing those requests.

Overdue Policy

  • Items overdue by 30 days will incur a $200 default fee.
  • This may not reflect the actual cost—the amount is set by the lending library, not Johnson County Library.
  • Contact us if you receive a fee—we’re here to help resolve it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Interlibrary Loan

  • Before submitting a request, first check to see if the title is available in the Library catalog. Requesting from our own collection is fastest! We borrow items not owned by our library.

    Go to the Interlibrary Loan page and log in.

    First, you will create your Interlibrary Loan account (ILLiad). You will be able to log in to your account to view your Interlibrary Loans.

    1. To make a request: Click the “Make a Request” drop down menu in your Interlibrary Loan home screen.
    2. Choose "Worldcat FirstSearch (recommended)".
    3. Find the title in the request box. You can also make your search more advanced by including keywords such as "Blu Ray", "cake pan" or the author and format type.
    4. Choose your item from the list of titles that pop up. The more libraries that own the item, the better chance ILL has to get the item in. 
    5. Once in the record for the item, choose "Borrow This Item (ILL)".
    6. This will bring you to a form to fill out. Please fill out the required fields and place any notes you would like Interlibrary Loan staff to see, like certain volumes only, or if you only want the Blu Ray or DVD edition. In the "Edition" field you can put which volume or edition you would like.
    7. Click on "Submit request" and your request will be generated. Depending on several factors like availability, amount of copies etc., the item may go directly to lenders. Otherwise, it will be placed in a queue for Interlibrary Loan Staff to look at and request. They will be requested in the order they are received.
    8. If you are unable to find the item you want in FirstSearch, please fill out the form located on the Interlibrary Loan home screen under "Make A Request". 
    9. If you need assistance, contact us and we can get your request going!

    Please note: If you receive a new Library card number and want to make an Interlibrary Loan request on the same day, please contact us for assistance.

    • Titles not owned by or formats not available from the Johnson County Library or Olathe Public Library.
    • Audio/visual materials such as videos, CDs, CD-ROMs, video games, audiocassettes and LPs.
    • Photocopies of periodical articles not available at Johnson County Library.
    • Newspapers on microfilm (must be viewed at the Central Resource Library).
    • New books not already on order by Johnson County Library. Requests for new books will be forwarded to the Library's Collection Development Department for consideration for purchase. If not purchased, an Interlibrary Loan request will be made.

    • You will be notified by e-mail when your item arrives and is ready to be picked up at the Johnson County Library location of your choice. It will be held for seven days from the date of the notice.
    • Your item will be available on the hold shelf under the first four letters of your last name and the first letter of your first name.
    • Photocopies will be delivered electronically or mailed to your postal address.
    • You will be notified by e-mail if the request is canceled or cannot be filled after a thorough search.
    • If you do not have an email on file, please contact us to add one. If you do not want to do that, you can check your Interlibrary Loan account (ILLiad) periodically. 

    • Awaiting Direct Request Sending: Your request has been received and is in the process of being sent automatically to potential lenders to review.
    • Awaiting Request Processing: Your request has been received by the Interlibrary Loan Department. If it is unable to go directly to lenders, it will move into this queue for Interlibrary Loan staff to process manually.
    • Request in Processing: If a possible lender needs more information, they may send a query to Interlibrary Loan staff. Your request will move into this queue. It is on pause until we can get the information they need.
    • Awaiting Conditional Processing: Your request has been returned with conditions attached. ILL staff are determining the next step and will contact you if needed.
    • Awaiting Copyright Clearance: Your article request has been received and is awaiting copyright processing to determine if any copyright fees need to be paid.
    • Request Sent: The request has been sent to a string of possible lenders. These lenders are in the process of checking their libraries to see if they are able to loan the item. This could take a few weeks.
    • Under Review: If a request was made for a title published during the current year, the request moves into this queue for Collection Development staff to consider purchasing the item. If they do not decide to purchase, it will be moved back into the Awaiting Request Processing queue for Interlibrary Loan Staff to request.
    • Collections Consideration: Your request has been forwarded to the Johnson County Library Collection Development Department where they will consider purchasing a copy to add to the Library's collection. If purchased by the Library, you will be notified by email. If the item is not purchased, an Interlibrary Loan request will be made and you will receive a notice when the item is available.
    • Awaiting Unfilled Processing: Your request has gone through a string of lenders. Interlibrary Loan staff will check for any other possible lenders. If there are none, you will receive a notice through email indicating we were unable to get the item requested.
    • Received Partial/Incorrect Item: An item was received from the lending library that either does not match your request or is incomplete. The Interlibrary Loan staff will determine the quickest means to correct this.
    • Awaiting Post Receipt Processing: The requested item has arrived at the Interlibrary Loan Department and is being processed by the ILL staff.
    • Check My Account: The requested item has arrived at the Interlibrary Loan Department for processing. It will be put in transit to your requested pick up location. This could take a few days. When the item arrives at your requested branch, a notice will be sent indicating it is available to pick up. Once the item is checked out, go to Login/My Library  to access your Library account to check the date due.
    • Checked out to Customer: The item has arrived with a due date set by the lender that is in the past. ILL staff have requested a renewal from the lender so the item can be lent out for a period of 3 weeks upon check out. Once this request is made, staff must manually change it back to "Check My Account".
    • Renewal Ok Processing or Renewal Denied Processing: The lender has either approved or denied the renewal requested to extend the due date set by the lender. Very rarely does this mean that you will not get the item to check out for JCL's standard 3 weeks. Once this status appears, ILL staff must manually change it back to "Check My Account". 
    • Awaiting Recalled Processing: The requested item has been recalled by the lending library. Please return the item as soon as possible.
    • Awaiting Return Label Processing: The item has been returned to the Interlibrary Loan office and is in the process of being returned to the lending library.
View more about Interlibrary Loan
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