Consortia Borrowing

It is possible to borrow from another Community College, State Universities, and the State Library without filling out a interlibrary loan form. Housatonic Community College is one of 12 community colleges in Connecticut. Patrons at HCC may directly borrow from the other colleges by using the shared catalog Housatonic Search. See a librarian for instructions

Interlibrary loan is a service which borrows materials from other libraries. It is available to HCC students, faculty, and staff only. To be eligible for Interlibrary Loan, patrons must be in good standing with the library and have no active blocks on their record. Community borrowers are referred to their local public library for Interlibrary Loan assistance. Housatonic abides by the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, Unites States Code).

Borrowing Items

Due dates and renewals of Interlibrary Loan items are set by the lending library, and Housatonic complies with their policies. Although an effort is made to get requested materials in all formats, DVDs, videos, CDs, etc. are often not available through interlibrary loan. Reference books and textbooks are not available through Interlibrary Loan.

In cases where the only available lender charges for interlibrary loans, the patron will be asked if he or she prefers to pay the cost or cancel the request. The library assumes no responsibility for payment. Patrons are responsible for the cost of lost items and accrued 6 fines as determined by the lending library.

The library reserves the right to set limits on how many Interlibrary Loan items may be checked out at one time. Failure to return Interlibrary Loan items in a timely manner will lead to suspension of Interlibrary Loan privileges. The library reserves the right to decline to process interlibrary loan requests. See the librarian at the Reference Desk for mediated assistance.

Lending

Housatonic lends materials to other libraries free of charge, including copies of periodical articles. Reference books, reserve items, periodicals, newspapers, and archives will not be loaned. DVDs circulate only within Connecticut. Borrowing libraries are responsible for lost items. The library reserves the right to decline to loan materials.