Outerlibrary Loan Service
Outerlibrary Loan is intended to help patrons get items that are not available through LINKcat. Please, search LINKcat before submitting this form.
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Requesting an Outerlibrary Loan

When an item cannot be found in LINKcat, it is not available from any library in our system. Instead, we may be able to borrow it for you from a library outside of our area. This service is called Outerlibrary Loan (OLL), and it is a separate process from the usual way we share materials. We can request items and offer them to you through the cooperation of other libraries throughout the country. These libraries have their own rules and guidelines, so using OLL requires us to act in good faith—to treat items with care and return them in a timely manner.

Because items are borrowed from other libraries and do not belong to us, we have established the following guidelines:
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  1. Your account with us must be in good standing. Fines over $20.00 and lost or damaged fees must be paid before requesting an item through OLL.
  2. All filled requests must be picked up before the due date. Staff will call or email you when an item arrives and inform you of this date. Failure to pick up an item will incur a fine of $10.00 per item.
  3. Outerlibrary Loan items should be returned on or before the due date to the library you borrowed it from. Failure to return an item will incur a fee of $50.00 per item.

Part of the agreement we have with other libraries covers what kinds of materials we can request. Please keep the following in mind when requesting items through OLL:

  1. We cannot request television series.
  2. We cannot request console games or computer games.
  3. We cannot request items that are less than six months old. 
  4. We cannot guarantee that we can get a specific item, but it’s always worth a try.
  5. No more than five items may be requested through outerlibrary loan within a seven-day period.
  6. Previously requested items may not be requested again for 6 months.

If you have questions about your new or pending Outerlibrary Loan request, please contact Nancy Myers via email or at 608-328-7015.
    Your Personal Information
    Information about Your Request
Waiting for an Outerlibrary Loan request

​Because these items are handled differently than items circulated within our system, you can expect some differences in the process:

  1. Holds will not appear on your LINKcat account. We cannot track holds in the same way or update you on their status.
  2. The wait time may be significantly longer than you expect, often between 2 to 6 weeks.
  3. Please wait for us to contact you about the item—we’ll let you know when it arrives, or if we are unable to get the item.
Checking out an Outerlibrary Loan

When we notify you that an Outerlibrary Loan is available, please come to the checkout desk.

  1. Borrowed items will not appear on your LINKcat account, printed receipt, or checkout history.
  2. Please keep all paper materials in the book, and refer to the due date written on the item.
  3. Items are rarely able to be renewed. Please call several days in advance of the due date to inquire about a renewal.
  4. Return the Outerlibrary Loan on or before the due date to the Monroe Public Library checkout desk. Failure to return an item will incur a fee of $50.00.
  5. Magazine articles are typically sent to us as scanned documents. We can forward it to your email or print it out for you to pick up. This material does not need to be returned.