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Policies

Interlibrary Loan

Current Northwest Vista College students, faculty and staff in good standing with the Alamo Colleges libraries may use our Interlibrary Loan service. Interlibrary loan is a library-to-library lending service that is used to obtain circulating materials and periodical articles owned by other libraries, including other Alamo Colleges libraries.

If the materials you are searching for are not available at the NVC library, you can request an interlibrary loan directly from our online catalog. Look for the  button and fill out the online form to initiate a request. You will need to fill out basic contact information, but the book, or item, information will already be filled out for you. Below is a instructional video on how to request items:

Guidelines

  • NVC patrons are limited to 5 Interlibrary Loan requests at a time.
  • Textbooks will not be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
    • Please speak with a librarian for resources and solutions: 210-486-4513.
  • Obtaining materials from other libraries requires time for search, processing and delivery. Materials may not be available immediately and the process can take up to a week or longer. If the materials are needed immediately, there may be faster options. Please speak with a librarian if your request is time-sensitive.
  • Each lending library has its own policies that may restrict the types of items they are willing to loan.
  • Please return all items by the due date. Timely returns ensure that we can maintain positive relationships with our partner libraries and continue providing valuable services to our patrons.
  • Renewals can be requested, however, they are approved by the lending library, not us. Please make renewal requests about a week before the due date to give the lending library time to decide. Renewals can be requested in person, over the phone, or through Chat.
    • Please note: your online circulation account gives you the option to renew library items and it includes Interlibrary loans in its programming, however, this does not send the request to the lending library. Please reach out to us for renewal requests: 210-486-4500.