Search & Request, opens a new window | Suggest a Purchase
Request items not owned by Omaha Public Library (OPL) from another library. Patron accounts must be in good standing, including having an account balance under $50.
Rules:
Patrons agree to pay the cost of returning the requested item to the lending library. 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. Additionally, the condition of these items cannot be guaranteed and does not exempt the user from paying the return postage.
Items are loaned by libraries in the continental United States. Circulation rules—including loan periods, renewals, and use of materials—are set by the lending library. Patrons will be held responsible for any charges incurred for damaged or lost items set by the lending library.
Patrons will be limited to three active requests at a time. This includes requests that are pending, shipped, and received.
Interlibrary loan requests will not be accepted for textbooks or for any item that OPL already owns, even if it is a non-circulating item. This rule does not apply to different formats of an item (for example, customers may request a print version of a book OPL offers only as an eBook or audiobook). Please note that eBooks and other downloadable materials cannot be borrowed via interlibrary loan.
Patrons who do not comply with these rules will lose interlibrary loan privileges.
Procedures:
- Search for items online through the WorldCat database, opens a new window. When you find an item you would like to request, click on the blue button to the right of the record labeled "Request via ILL" to access the online request form.
OR
- Email ill@omahalibrary.org, opens a new window with your request. Please include your name, library barcode, the branch where you'd like to pick up the item, and as much information on the item as possible.
OR
- Visit any OPL location and ask staff for a paper request form.
Requested items, excluding microfilm, may be picked up at and returned to any OPL location. All microfilm must stay and be viewed in the Genealogy Room. Items are not to be returned in the book drop.
Since most libraries will not loan materials published or produced within the last 12 months, it is suggested that patrons submit a Suggest a Purchase form rather than submitting an interlibrary loan request for new materials.
