Interlibrary Loan

Availability

If you are unable find what you’re looking for in the library’s catalog, we can request the following types of material for you through interlibrary loan.

  • Circulating books (published more than 6 months ago)
  • Books on CD (from in-state libraries only)
  • DVDs (from in-state libraries only)
  • Music CDs (from in-state libraries only)
  • Magazine/journal articles
  • Microfilm reels

Requesting

Please check the library’s catalog for the item before submitting a request. To submit a new request for something that we do not own, you can use the catalog interlibrary loan request form (located under Send a Request in the catalog). If you prefer, requests can also be made in person with staff at the Service Desk, or by calling 603-225-8670.

Requesting at Home

You can now place ILL requests through the state catalog at home!  For more info, please ask at the Service Desk for details.

The Fine Print

  • You may borrow up to five items a month through interlibrary loan (four of them can be out-of-state requests). Your library card must be current, and your fine balance cannot exceed $10.
  • Titles must have been published at least six months ago for us to request them via ILL. For newer titles, you may submit a purchase request (located under Send a Request in the catalog).
  • If CPL owns an item, we will not borrow it from another library until our copy is at least 6 weeks overdue.
  • Your interlibrary loan will have a neon "Date Due" sticker on the front cover.  If you want to renew the interlibrary loan, we ask that you please contact the ILL librarian within a week of the due date (this gives us more time to contact the lending library & get your renewal processed).
  • If you wish to re-request an interlibrary loan item that you have checked out previously, you must wait until 1 full month from the date of return has passed. After that date you may request the item again.
  • If you have any questions, please contact the ILL librarian.

Status Checks

On average, items take about 2-4 weeks to arrive. Hard-to-find items can take longer (while electronic article requests are much faster).

Once you have submitted a request, we will start looking for potential lenders. You can check the status of your request by logging into your account and looking at the "Requests" tab. Once your item has been shipped to us, the title will appear on your library account as an "Available Soon" hold/reserve. If more than 3 weeks have passed, and you do not see the item on your account, feel free to contact ILL Staff for a status check!

You can also check yourself on the status of an in-state ILL request by logging into the NHAIS catalog with your CPL barcode and PIN.  For more information on this process, please ask at the Service Desk!

Borrowing Networks

Items are primarily borrowed via the NH ShareIt catalog (NHAIS) and OCLC / WorldCAT.

Reads-To-Go Book Club Kits

If you are interested in borrowing book club reads, we have access to over 190 kits through the Reads-To-Go system! Reads-To-Go is a program sponsored by the NH Library Association which makes book discussion kits available to libraries throughout New Hampshire.  Kits are available for libraries to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you are interested in requesting RTG Book Club Kits, please contact CPL.