Library materials not owned by the Missouri State Library or which are not available in the MOBIUS catalog may be borrowed for Missouri state government employees from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). The Missouri State Library also participates as an active lending library, shipping items to libraries that request circulating materials from our collections.  

The Missouri State Library follows interlibrary loan procedures that are governed by the National Interlibrary Loan Code, the policies of the lending library, and the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code).

The library must rely on resource sharing and interlibrary cooperation to increase access to materials needed by its constituents, offering the most expedient service possible at no cost to the user.

Patron requests

1. All Missouri state government employees in good standing with the Library may request specified material through interlibrary loan.
2. All requests should be state government work-related.
3. A Missouri State Library card is required of state employees who seek a loan of physical material via interlibrary loan.
4. The State Library may decline to fill requests due to high demand, copyright restrictions, cost to borrow, inability to locate an item, or the rarity of the item. The State Library does not request items from institutions that charge for lending.
5. If the State Library cannot procure the item, Library staff will notify the patron and suggest alternate methods for obtaining the item.

Service Expectations

1. The State Library will generally process requests within one business day of receiving the request, but reserves the right to extend the processing time if staff members are not available to process requests or if an extraordinary number of requests are received.
2. Once the request has been processed, the turnaround time is dependent on the lending library. 
3. Loan periods for physical items are determined by the lending library. The lending library determines if renewals are allowed. 

Patron responsibilities

1. Patrons are expected to return items by the given due date in good condition. 
2. The patron must replace at their own cost any physical items they fail to return. The lending library determines the compensation required for lost or damaged interlibrary loan materials.
3. Patrons are expected to comply with copyright law and guidelines.

1. The State Library offers a broad range of materials for Interlibrary Loan with some exceptions, including reference materials, newspapers, loose leaf binders, training media, Missouri State Library Historical Collection items and eBooks.
2. The State Library is not able ship items internationally.
3. The Library reserves the right to refuse to lend materials or to ask the borrowing library to restrict use of materials lent. Renewals will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
4. State Library staff will endeavor to provide quick turnaround on most requests, and will generally reply to requests within three business days. Rush requests are accommodated as time and staffing permit.
5. Replacement of the item is the responsibility of the borrowing library. The State Library requires a replacement copy of a lost or damaged item as replacement fees cannot be processed.