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1. How do I request materials?

You must have a card in good standing with the Bonham Public Library before requesting items. You may request items in person, by phone, or through the request form.

2. How much does it cost?

Interlibrary loans require a payment of $3 when the loan arrives. This defrays the cost of postage to return the item to the library of origin.

Failure to pick up an item will result in a $3 handling charge.

3. What (possibly) isn't available via Interlibrary Loans?

• Items less than 1 year old.
• Items in Special Collections and reference books
• Most genealogical materials
• Limited availability of microfilm and audio/video materials
• Telephone directories
• Complete issues of periodicals or newspapers
• Some books from small publishers or "vanity press" publishers may not be available.

Note: For items in special collections, genealogy or reference, we can make a request to receive a photocopy of the table of contents and/or the index. Using this information, you can then request copies of specific pages. Copies via Interlibrary Loan are free of charge if emailed.

4. How long can I keep materials?

The loan length varies from library to library, but in general, most libraries offer a loan period of at least three weeks. Please be aware that libraries will not renew interlibrary loans. If you need an item before a specific date, please let us know. If an item cannot be filled by that time, we can attempt to cancel the request.

5. Where is my item coming from?

We request our items via the Texas Group Catalog (TGC). Loans are filled by public and academic libraries, but we cannot request items from a specific library, such as Sherman or Denison; it is an automated system that selects the best source available.

6. How many items can I request?

Please limit your requests to 2 at a time, as Interlibrary Loans (ILLs) are time- and labor-intensive for staff. Please note this does not mean having two ILL items checked out and requesting two more, but two items total. For example, if you have two ILL items out and return one, you can only request one more, not two.