Request an Item: Home

How to Request an Item

There are 2 ways to request an item that is not in our catalog:  

1. One is to request an Inter-Library Loan (ILL). An ILL is a book that is requested from another library. ILLs are requested by our Adult Services Department and may take several weeks before the book can be sent from a willing library. Sometimes an ILL request is unable to fulfilled by any of our partnering libraries. An ILL book must have been released for more than 6 months - libraries will not loan new books. Once the book arrives, someone from our library will contact the patron notifying them that the book is here and ready for checkout. The due date for the book is determined by the lending library and there are generally no renewals. This service is free to our patrons. If a patron would like to request an ILL, come to the adult reference desk and complete a request form. A patron may also call, 252-438-3316, ext 234 to make a request with Angie Bates.

2. The second way to request an item is to request to have it be purchased for our library collection. There are forms located on the shelves below the portraits in our main lobby as well as at the Circulation, Children's Services, and Adult Reference desks. A patron completes a request form which includes the following information: patron name, library card number, phone number and/or email address, title and author of the item as well as what format the item is in (DVD, large print, audio, etc.). The library will contact the patron as soon as the item becomes available. If the requested item is unable to be purchased for any reason, the library will contact the patron and offer an ILL if that is a possibility. This service is also free to our patrons. For more information or questions call 252-438-3316, ext 234, and speak with Angie Bates, Adult Services Librarian.