Interlibrary Loan

Use this form to request items that belong to libraries outside of South Texas College. This service is only available to STC students, faculty, and staff. See complete procedures below.

Submit an Interlibrary Loan Request

If you have any questions, please contact us at (956) 872-8330 or interlibraryloan@southtexascollege.edu.

Interlibrary Loan Procedures
The following procedures apply to Interlibrary Loan requests:
1. Restrictions.
  - Users are limited to 5 ILL requests per day.
  - From December 12 until college operations resume in January, we are unable to borrow or lend books and other returnables. However, we will try to maintain normal service for non-returnable loans (e.g. journal article photocopies).
  - Audio Visual (AV) items may be requested through ILL, but must be for library use only. Faculty members may request AV materials through ILL for classroom use.
  - Books that have been published within 1 year prior cannot be requested.
  - Patrons requesting genealogical materials should include surname information and/or specific pages for photocopying. Where possible they should ask for a photocopy of the index or table of contents from the material of interest.
  - Books owned by South Texas College Library (including electronic books) that are checked out or on reserve cannot be ordered through interlibrary loan services.
  - Textbooks cannot be ordered through interlibrary loan services.
  - Patrons will be limited to requesting the same title twice within a semester.
2. Electronic Items. Materials sent to us electronically will be sent to the patron’s STC email account.
3. Notices.
  - Patrons receive pre-overdue notices 4 days before items become overdue. This gives patrons an opportunity to return items on time or ask for possible renewals.
  - Once interlibrary loan items become overdue, students will be suspended from checking out any library items. This suspension will not be removed until 1 week after the associated item is returned. Faculty and staff with overdue interlibrary loan items will have their interlibrary loan borrowing privilege suspended until the overdue items are returned.
  - Once items become 7 days overdue, holds will be placed on associated student accounts to prevent the release of transcripts.
  - Once items become 14 days overdue, we will begin working with the lending libraries to create invoices to cover the cost of the items and any additional fees.
4. Loss of Interlibrary Loan Privileges. Patrons who are delinquent in returning borrowed materials twice in a semester will lose their borrowing privileges for the remainder of that semester. Repeated delinquency in returning interlibrary loan materials will result in the loss of borrowing privileges.

Mailing Services
The Mailing Service is restricted to Distance Learning students and faculty that meet certain criteria. The following procedures apply to this service:
1. Operated by the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Office of the STC Library. It provides Distance Learning students and faculty with access to library materials such as books and articles. ILL staff will arrange for delivery of books and articles by appropriate means (e-mail, mail, or fax).
2. To qualify for this service, students and faculty must be currently enrolled in or teaching a Distance Learning course. For book delivery, qualified individuals must live outside of Hidalgo and Starr County, but within the United States.
3. Books from the STC collection sent to individuals will be granted an extended check-out period of 4 weeks. Books borrowed from another library on behalf of an individual will vary depending on the loan period granted by the owning library.
4. ILL staff will ship materials to qualified students and faculty at no cost to the individual. The individual pays shipping costs to return materials to the STC Library. The purchase of package insurance is highly recommended. Package insurance for a value of $150 per item is sufficient for most items.
5. Cost for lost or damaged books is the responsibility of the individual and service privileges will be revoked until all overdue and lost item fees are paid in accordance with STC Board policy.
6. Reserve books and books available electronically through STC Library databases may not be requested.
Mailing Services Request
Campus to Campus Service
If you need to request an item that is owned by the STC Library, but located at another campus, place a hold on this item directly through Discovery Search, and it will be delivered to your closest campus. A Library staff will notify you when the item is ready to be picked up. Items usually arrive within 2 business days.

Please note that certain items, such as Course Reserves, may not be eligible for Campus to Campus loans.