Can’t find what you are looking for in the SAILS network? No problem! Last fiscal year, APL was able to borrow almost 800 items (you read that right!) from outside our network for our patrons for free.
If an item can’t be found locally within the SAILS network, APL’s Reference Department is able to utilize the Massachusetts library lending program, Commonwealth Catalog (ComCat), to track down items within the Commonwealth. Once located at another Massachusetts library, the item is transferred via a statewide delivery system and typically arrives to Attleboro within a week. While ComCat is available for patrons to place their own requests, the process can be finicky, so we always recommend speaking with APL’s Reference Team to have us take care of the request. ComCat items may be borrowed for four (4) weeks with no renewal (per ComCat policy).
If an item can’t be located within ComCat, the Reference Team turns to the library’s nationwide lending program called Interlibrary Loan (ILL). ILL is a wonderful option for the hard-to-find titles because we have access to public libraries, academic libraries, and special libraries across the continental United States. Items arrive via postal mail, so between processing and delivery, it may take up to a couple weeks for the item to arrive at APL. Borrowing periods and renewal opportunities vary (and can occasionally be limited), as they are determined by the owning library.
Now for the “fine print” about ILL. We aren’t able to get brand-new titles through ComCat or ILL; instead, we are typically only able to get titles that have been released for at least one year. We also can’t “bypass” holds lists in the SAILS network, meaning if an item is owned by a SAILS library, a patron will have to get it through there, even if it means waiting for the title to become available. Though we have a good success rate, there’s always a chance that an owning library will refuse our request. Therefore, while it never hurts to try, we don’t recommend ComCat or ILL if you are on a limited timeline to receive an item.
Let us help you, though! Contact the Reference Department at apl_ref@sailsinc.org or 508-222-0157 for help with that tricky title you just can’t seem to track down. It may just be hanging out on a library shelf in Wisconsin, or New Mexico, or Maryland!
