A gentle reminder: new items are not for ILL

We processed 75 new requests yesterday - close to but not quite breaking a record. Of those 75 requests, 7 were for items released in the past two months.

Libraries won't lend out their newer items, because they want their patrons to use them first. We do not lend items from the new book section because our patrons' tax dollars finance them, so CCPL patrons should have first choice of those items.

Items published or released in the last 6 months are not available via interlibrary loan. If you would like one of these items, please submit a suggestion for purchase at any of our branches or by calling Telephone Reference at 805-6930.

For the person who submitted an ILL request for an item with a publication date of September 2007 - our department is good, but not that good! Future publications are not available via interlibrary loan either.

I want a book that CCPL will not let me check out

We are unable to borrow items that CCPL owns via interlibrary loan. Our precedent for this is set by the national Interlibrary Loan Code, devised by the American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/interlibrary.htm).

Certain items at CCPL do not circulate, such as reference books and items in our South Carolina History Room. The reasoning behind this is that these items should be equally available to everyone who comes in to use them, and our ability to help others could be jeopardized if an item is checked out and not returned. This is especially true of South Carolina Room items, many of which are unique and irreplaceable.

The Reference Department and the South Carolina Room staff are delighted to help with any questions you might have regarding these items, including locating specific citations within them. Visit our website (www.ccpl.org) and click "Services" for more information.