Interlibrary Loans

Interlibrary Loans (ILL) are the way library materials are made available from one library system to another.

If the Edmonton Public Library doesn’t own an item that you’d like to borrow, our Interlibrary Loan Department will try to get a copy sent from another library system within Alberta or Canada.

Get Started with Interlibrary Loans

View our step-by-step guide to requesting an interlibrary loan through EPL.

Books at the library

Step-by-Step

  1. Double-check the EPL catalogue. We add new titles to our collection every day, and we may have recently ordered the item or format you're looking for. If you want EPL to add something to the collection, or if you are looking at a title published within the current year, try suggesting the title for purchase.
  2. Not in the EPL catalogue? Try searching library systems across Alberta through Relais, the Alberta Resources Sharing system. You can request items directly from other library systems, manage your loans, and have items delivered to an EPL branch for pick-up.
  3. Still can't find what you're looking for? Fill out our Interlibrary Loan Request Form and our ILL Team will try to track it down in libraries across Canada.

Borrowing

ILL Basics
  • Interlibrary loans (ILL) can take 3-6 weeks to arrive.
  • Materials that are already in EPL's collection (including on-order items, Blu-ray versions of DVDs, or non-circulating items) may not be requested through ILL.
  • We do not request items published/released within the current year. Customers can suggest new items to be added to EPL’s collection.
  • EPL customers may have only 5 active interlibrary loan requests at one time.
  • The loan period for an interlibrary loan is 3 weeks.
  • Interlibrary loan books* may be renewed 1 time if the owning library allows renewals. Contact EPL's ILL staff to request a renewal.
    • *Audio-visual (AV) items (e.g., CDs and DVDs) are not renewable.
  • Fees for interlibrary loan items:
      • A $90.00 fee will be added to the customer’s account for Lost or Damaged ILL items.
  • Customers must have fewer than 50 holds and no fees exceeding $10.00.
  • Please avoid submitting duplicate requests. Contact ILL staff if you would like an update on the status of your request.
What Can I Borrow?
In a Hurry?

On Order

ILL - Catalogue Carousel

Frequently Asked Questions

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