Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

As a small, rural library we cannot possibly maintain in our collection every item our patrons could desire. The solution is to borrow items from other libraries via the interlibrary loan system.

The Lassen Library District is the only public library in Lassen County that is member of the California State Library system and the NorthNet Library System. Our membership in these systems provides us the ability to request materials from virtually any library in the world via the OCLC WorldCat resource sharing system. 

Most materials in the collections of these libraries can be borrowed. Loan periods and any associated fees will vary depending on the policies of the lending library.

ILL Request Procedures

Patrons must have a Lassen Library District library card and be patrons in good standing. Patrons with long-outstanding late fees, overdue items or other encumberances against their membership will not be allowed to make ILL requests.

ILL requests can be made in person, via facsimilie or e-mail, but all patrons will be required to indicate their acceptance of the terms of the loan, including the requirement to pay associated costs, by signing the request application in person at the library prior to picking up the borrowed items. 

There is a four-item limit on the number of ILL items a patron can have at any time.

Library staff will search the holdings of other libraries using on-line database search and reservation tools available to them to find the requested materials and place a loan order for them. Patrons are called when the items have arrived at the library.

Patrons can search the the worldwide OCLC online library catalog - WorldCat - to find materials themselves, but they will not be able to make a reservation request themselves on this system.

ILL Fees

Lending libraries usually do not charge us for their ILL processing or shipping costs but they may at their discretion. Library staff makes every effort to find requested materials at a library that does not charge for their costs. We also search for requested items at a California library before considering an out-of-state library.

Materials borrowed from other libraries are usually shipped via the U.S. Postal Service, as are the loaned items Lassen Library returns to lending libraries. We assess a $3 fee to cover the postage costs of returning materials borrowed from other libraries. 

When charges are involved library staff will obtain approval from the requesting patron before finalizing the transaction.