If you are researching your family history, chances are that you make trips to the library once in a while. Libraries are a great place to do genealogy research, but sometimes the books you need are not located in any of your local libraries. Fear not brave genealogist, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is here to save the day.
Most public and academic libraries in the United States participate in the Interlibrary Loan service. This amazing service makes books, microfilms, and other materials in all of those other libraries available to you through your local library. The resources that each library makes available through Interlibrary Loan vary, but it is worth a try. For example, the Library of Congress does not lend books on genealogy and family history through Interlibrary Loan but it has microfilmed many of those books from its collection and will lend the microfilms through Interlibrary Loan.
As wonderful as Interlibrary Loan is, there is one caveat that genealogists in particular should be aware of. Some family histories and other highly specialized genealogy resources are not available for Interlibrary Loan because the libraries that have them in their care do not wish to let them out the door. They also do not lend them to regular patrons either. They are designated as available for in-house use only. The libraries that have these books are not greedy; they just know that sometimes in the course of genealogy research, people are inspired to do strange things like travel across five states in search of the library where the only copy of the illustrated history of Uncle Fred’s wartime exploits is located. They don’t want someone to show up after a heroic journey only to find that the book is out on loan.
The best way to see whether the information that you are seeking is available through Interlibrary Loan and whether it will cost you anything to obtain it is to ask an expert. Your librarian will explain how Interlibrary Loan works at your library and what is available to you. Most public libraries offer the service for free, but some state libraries, historical societies, and other types of libraries may charge a fee for the service.
Photo by beanworks on morguefile.com.
