OPL recognizes the right of individuals to question both materials selected by the library. Individuals who wish an item to be removed from the collection are encouraged to discuss their request with library staff. If a patron would like to pursue item removal, they may fill out a Request for Review of Library Materials form provided by library staff. The form will be reviewed by library administration. Material under review will remain in the circulating collection until a determination is made.
Library Materials FAQs
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General Questions
No, we do not.
The library orders books and other materials on a regular basis throughout the entire year.
Bestseller Express is an additional, optional service and benefit that will make many more copies of our most popular items available to Library customers more quickly.
Bestseller Express helps to eliminate the long waiting periods for some of the most popular new titles. The service offers multiple copies of high-demand books that customers may borrow at all Omaha Public Library locations and provides an alternative to our traditional hold/delivery system. Customers can choose the book they want from Bestseller Express shelves in their local branch, and the book on loan for seven days. Books are shelved in a distinct and separate location that is easily identifiable. These books are subject to regular fines and fees and cannot be renewed or placed on hold. The books may be returned to any Omaha Public Library. Multiple copies of every book in the Bestseller Express program are also available in the Library’s general collection for checkout, and continue to be available through the hold system.
Find a list of all of Bestseller Express titles here.
Interlibrary loan can be used to request:
- Books and audiobooks
- DVDs published at least a year ago
- Music CDs
- Journal articles
- Microfilm
- Different formats of an item (for example, you may request a print version of a book OPL offers only as an eBook or audiobook)
Suggest a Purchase can be used to request:
- Books that fit our Collection Development Policy
- Music CDs not found in Freegal Music, opens a new window
- Audiobooks
- DVDs
- Playaways
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Interlibrary Loan
Pending interlibrary loan requests will not show up in your account, but the loaned item will appear in your checked out list once we have received it and processed it. You will be notified by phone or email as soon as the item is available for pick-up at the branch you have designated.
Items not owned by OPL, including:
- Books
- Audiobooks
- DVDs/Blu-rays
- Music CDs
- Journal articles
- Microfilm
- Different formats of an item (for example, you may request a print version of a book OPL offers only as an eBook or audiobook.)
Downloadable materials (eBooks) and textbooks cannot be borrowed via interlibrary loan.
Patrons will be limited to three active requests at any given time. This includes requests that are pending, shipped, and received.
Circulation rules, including loan periods, renewals, and use of materials, are set by the lending library.
Items must be returned at the circulation desk, not in the book drop.
To request a renewal on your ILL item, call 402.444.4841.
Items are loaned by libraries in the continental United States. Delivery times for requested items can vary, depending on the lending library and the postal service. Omaha Public Library cannot guarantee delivery of an ILL item from any specific library or by any specific date. Interlibrary loan is not recommended for patrons concerned about deadlines.
The exact amount will depend on the item's weight and whether the lending library requires UPS shipping, but is generally between $4 and $15.
The lending library may impose an additional service fee. If it does, the patron will be informed of, and must agree to, that fee before the item is sent. Note that once requested items are in transit to OPL, they cannot be canceled. The condition of requested items cannot be guaranteed and does not exempt the user from paying the return postage.
Patrons will be held responsible for any charges incurred for damaged or lost items set by the lending library.
Patrons must have an account in good standing, including having an account balance under $50.
Patrons with Reciprocal Accounts (Ralston and Lincoln) must use their home library system's ILL service.
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Suggest a Purchase
To check on the status of previous requests:
- Click Log in from the top right of any page.
- Select My Settings from the drop-down menu and log in when prompted.
- Choose Suggested Purchases from the Account Preferences menu on the left.
This page will display the status of your suggest a purchase requests.
You may enter 5 Suggest a Purchase requests each month.
To suggest items not found in our library catalog:
- Click Log in from the top right of any page.
- Select My Library Dashboard from the drop-down menu and log in when prompted.
- Choose Submit a Suggestion from the dashboard menu on the left.
- Enter the title information and click on Submit Suggestion.
Check on the status of previous requests:
- Click Log in from the top right of any page.
- Select My Library Dashboard from the drop-down menu and log in when prompted.
- Choose Suggested this Month from the dashboard menu on the left.
To suggest items not found in our library catalog:
- Click Log in from the top right of any page.
- Select My Library Dashboard from the drop-down menu and log in when prompted.
- Choose Submit a Suggestion from the dashboard menu on the left.
- Enter the title, author and publication year, and click Next. You will be able to choose a format on the second screen.
- When you have finished entering the information, click Next and then Submit your suggestion.
Another way to express interest in titles to your library is through Libby, opens a new window. You can find titles your library doesn't offer and use a "Notify Me" smart tag to alert the library of your interest and send you a notification if the purchase is completed.
- You'll find titles that aren't offered by your library when:
- You run a search and no titles in your library's collection match your search query.
- You run a search with fewer than 100 results, and you manually turn on the "deep search" filter in the search results screen.
- You can set up a "Notify Me" smart tag for titles not offered by your library. When you tag a title with your "Notify Me" smart tag, your interest in the title is anonymously shared with all of your saved libraries.
- If a title you've tagged with your "Notify Me" smart tag is purchased, you'll get a notification and have the option to borrow it or place it on hold right away.
Omaha Public Library supports the work of Nebraska authors and artists. Omaha Public Library defines "local" as a current or former resident of Nebraska.
Authors and artists can donate up to two copies of their book, CD, or DVD and ask that it be considered for the Library collection. Please note that only professionally bound books will be considered. Along with the item(s), please send a cover letter that includes ISBN, cost, and publisher, as well as any available reviews by standard media (i.e. professional journals or newspapers) to:
Omaha Public Library
Collection Development Department
3020 S. 84th St
Omaha, Nebraska 68124The above information can also be delivered to one of our branch libraries.
Authors may also submit a request that their book be purchased by filling out this form.
These items will be evaluated according to our Collection Development Policy, as are all titles considered for the collection. If added to Library, the item(s) will be part of our floating collection and subject to our standard weeding procedures. Acceptance of items into our collection does not guarantee the Library will purchase additional copies.
Because of the volume of requests, the Library is unable to return submitted materials or respond directly to each author or artist.
For tips for self-published authors working with libraries, please see this resource.
Thank you for suggesting your work for the Omaha Public Library collection.