Public Health: Interlibrary Loan & Other Borrowing Agreements

The James B. Duke Memorial Library participates in a nationwide interlibrary loan service offered through OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) bibliographic network. Students, faculty, and staff can request books and articles not found in our library collection via OCLC. This network provides access to the holdings of thousands of libraries worldwide. 

• ILL services are available to students, staff, and faculty.
• Typically, ILL items are free of charge. However, if the lending library assesses a fee, the borrower will be given the option of paying the fee or canceling the request.
• The requestor is responsible for any charges imposed because of the loss or damage of materials borrowed.
• Requests for books normally take 1-3 weeks to fill and copies of journal articles usually are received within 5-7 days, or longer.
• It is important to note that videos, audio tapes, dissertations, and special collection materials are usually non-circulating, and therefore not available through ILL.
• InterLibrary Loan forms are available at the Center of Information.

Policy & Procedure

• For books, the loan period is usually a month.
• You are not guaranteed any renewals. If a renewal request is refused, you must return the item(s) immediately.
• Failure to return interlibrary loan materials will result in suspension of your JCSU library privileges and replacement fines will go on your account.
• There is a limit of five (5) interlibrary loan books per patron at any time. There is no limit on articles.
• Interlibrary loan request may be done online or by completing the form, which is available online and at the Center of Information.
• Submit a form for each item.

The 4 institution in The Duke Endowment Library of Four (TDEL-4) who allow borrowing from each other’s institutions are Johnson C. Smith University, Davidson College, Duke University, and Furman University. Faculty, staff, and students of the four institutions are included in the agreement.

Brandon Lunsford is the primary contact for all TDEL-4 borrowing transactions at Johnson C. Smith University. If Mr. Lunsford is not available, any library staff can authorize a TDEL-4 borrowing transaction.  

Students or faculty members from a TDEL-4 institution wanting to borrow materials must be verified as enrolled and in good standing with the borrowing institution. Therefore, the lending institution will call the borrower’s home institution for such verification.

If a borrowing patron has a valid ID and has been verified at their home institution, they can be issued a special TDEL-4 borrowing card and may check out materials. The name, ID number, and mailing address of the patron will be typed on the card, and the card will be signed by the issuing library staff member.

The borrower must present a valid ID card from their home institution before they can be authorized to check out books.

The borrowing patron is bound by the rules and regulations of the lending institution, not by those of their home institution.

The checkout limit for TDEL-4 patrons is 10 items.

Items may be returned directly to lending institutions or to the Interlibrary Loan Department of the home institution for mailing back to the lending institution.