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Student information > ILL policy & request form

This service enables BGC students, faculty, and staff to obtain books and, in accordance with copyright laws, photocopies of journal articles not available at the BGC Library, electronically via Bard College's full-text databases, or in NYC libraries (NYPL, Columbia, the Metropolitan, the Frick, FIT, the Brooklyn Museum Library, etc.). The BGC participates in the RLG SHARES program, a cooperative resource sharing network among RLG libraries. Thus, the BGC Library borrows (and lends) primarily with other RLG institutions, including museum and university libraries. SHARES members list their holdings in the RLG Union Catalog. Borrowing from OCLC libraries is also possible, as is borrowing from an extensive number of libraries abroad.

Submitting Requests
Before submitting a request, please check the online catalog (DECOPAC) to see if the needed item is in the BGC collection. If not held by the BGC, please check the RLG Union Catalog (and/or OCLC's WorldCat) or other NYC-area library catalogs listed on the BGC Library website. Please note that there are many art libraries, in particular, whose holdings are only listed in the RLG Union Catalog (including some NYC libraries). (NOTE: Bard College is NOT a member of the RLG program and we have no special resource sharing arrangement with them.)

Requests should be submitted to library staff via the online form below, on a BGC ILL form available at the Reference Desk or in the library office, by dropping off a printout with a complete bibliographic citation (with its source) to the library office, by e-mailing a citation from within the RLG or OCLC union catalogs, or by e-mailing a full citation to reference@bgc.bard.edu. Please indicate the date the item is needed by (or no time limit, if that is the case). To ensure that we request the correct item in a timely manner, accurate and complete bibliographic citations must be supplied. It is possible to contact the ILL librarian at any time after submitting a request to check the status of a pending request.

Notification
Interlibrary loans may take anywhere from a week to three weeks or more to fulfill, depending on the item. Articles may be faxed to us, so often arrive within a couple of days (if image quality is not an issue). Please note that borrowing from libraries outside the U.S. (with the exception of Canada) can often take up to a month or more. The BGC Library will make every effort to ensure that ILL requests are submitted on a timely basis and that the requested materials arrive as soon as possible (if an institution is willing to lend). Special collection and rare materials, including theses, are not usually available for borrowing, and this often includes items published prior to a specific year (varies by institution). Entire periodical volumes are also not lent on a regular basis from other libraries.

An e-mail notification will be sent to one’s Bard e-mail address (unless indicated otherwise ahead of time), when an item arrives and has been processed. The item may be picked up in the library office during office hours from the designated ILL cart. Please handle with care materials borrowed from other libraries. As the BGC Library is non-circulating, so, too, must ILL items remain in the library at all times. Please return items by the due date listed on the yellow ILL sleeve on the front of the book, as well as abide by any regulations set by the lending library as noted on the sleeve.

Renewals
If an item is needed longer than the due date, please contact the ILL librarian in advance of the due date to request a renewal. Renewing an item and the length of the renewal period is up to the discretion of the lending library. If an item is non-renewable, it will be indicated on the yellow ILL sleeve on the book. The BGC Library will typically send out a reminder when a due date is approaching, although it is the responsibility of the borrower to return the materials before or on the due date. Many lending institutions will not allow new requests if there are any overdue items from the BGC.

Currently any charges for requests (usually $15-20 per request) are incurred by The Bard Graduate Center.