Interlibrary Loan 

Interlibrary Loan CANNOT be used to supply required textbooks. There are many reasons for this:

1. Textbooks are very difficult to obtain

   Very few libraries purchase textbooks (including Clemson Libraries) which makes them hard to locate. Of the libraries that do happen to own textbooks they are usually not available for lending.

2. Loan periods do not allow you to keep a textbook for an entire semester

   On the off chance that a library can supply the textbook it is impossible to keep an ILL book for an entire semester. The average loan period for an ILL book is 3-4 weeks- not long enough to cover the semester- and since these books are in such high demand they often cannot be renewed.

3. ILL loans cost money

   While students are not charged for ILL services there is still a cost on our end for each book borrowed from another library. Clemson Libraries simply do not have the resources to pay for hundreds of student textbooks, each of which you will only be able to keep for a few weeks.

4. Textbooks are the responsibility of the student not the library

   It is each student's responsibility to provide themselves with their required textbooks when classes start. When a student uses ILL for their required textbooks they are shifting that responsibility on to us.

5. The National ILL Code (As stated by the American Library Association) states that ILL should not be used in place of collection development

   This means that ILL operates with a policy that states the same book can only be borrowed ONCE per semester so borrowing a textbook then returning it when it's due and requesting it again is in violation of this policy.

The Interlibrary Loan Dept understands that textbooks are expensive. But purchasing textbooks is included on the list of typical college expenses, along with paying tuition, school supplies, parking passes, housing expenses and meal plans. If you absolutely cannot afford your textbooks, you may want to consider sharing textbooks with fellow classmates or searching for online vendors that offer textbooks at reduced prices. For other helpful suggestions please view the ILL Alternatives tab.