Using interlibrary loan for your book club

Yes, you can sometimes use interlibrary loan, or ILL, to help your book club get enough copies of a title your library does not own. The best results usually come when you ask early, tell staff the request is for a book club, and check whether a ready-made book club kit or statewide lending program would be easier than regular ILL.

What interlibrary loan can and cannot do

Interlibrary loan is a library-to-library service. Your local library asks another library to lend something that is not available in its own collection.

For book clubs, that can mean one copy, several copies, or help finding a shared kit program. But ILL is not meant to replace a library’s regular collection. The national ILL code also says special needs should be shared up front. That matters for book clubs, because asking for group use, multiple copies, or extra time is different from asking for one ordinary loan.

The lending library usually sets the due date, renewal rules, and any use limits. Some items can be recalled. Some cannot be renewed at all. That is why book club plans should stay flexible until the books actually arrive.

It also helps to know what ILL may not cover. New books can be harder to borrow. Hampton Public Library says it does not request new books through ILL. Riverside Public Library lists materials published within the last year as difficult to obtain. So if your group wants a brand-new bestseller, a local hold list or a kit program may work better.

Start with the fastest options first

Before you place an ILL request, look for the easier path.

A library book club kit is often the simplest answer because it already bundles multiple copies and a discussion guide. If that idea is new to your group, see What is a library book club kit?. Then try the Book club kit finder or read How to borrow a book club kit from your library.

Why start there? Because a kit is built for group use. A standard ILL request may only solve one member’s need. A kit may solve the whole group’s need at once.

Statewide programs can also be faster than piecing together single-copy requests. Utah’s state-run Book Buzz program lends sets of 15 books for 56 days, lets groups reserve up to 1 year ahead, and says the only cost is return shipping. Indiana’s State Library lends youth book club kits with 15 copies, or 30 copies for Spanish kits, and those kits check out for 90 days.

If you are not sure what exists near you, browse the state-by-state pages or search your city, county or ZIP. In many places, the best option for a book club is not ordinary ILL at all. It is a local or statewide shared-set program.

How to make a strong request for your club

When you do need ILL, give staff a clear, complete request. That saves time and improves the odds that your group gets the right format at the right time.

Use this checklist:

1. Share the exact book information. Give the title, author, and preferred format.
2. Say that the request is for a book club. Group use is a special need, and libraries may handle it differently from a one-person request.
3. Say how many copies you need. If you can work with fewer copies, say that too.
4. Give your meeting date. Your library needs to know whether the books are needed in 2 weeks or 2 months.
5. Ask about fees before the request is placed. Some libraries can borrow only from free lenders. Others can proceed if you approve a charge.
6. Ask whether a kit, state program, or shared discussion set would be better. Staff may know about options that do not show up in a simple catalog search.

This is also a good time to decide who will be responsible for the books. Some kit programs and local libraries expect one person to check out the whole set or to handle missing items.

If your group needs large print, audio, or a mix of formats, say so right away. Utah’s Book Buzz page says it does not offer large print sets, but if a group needs one or two large print copies, staff may be able to help through interlibrary loan with several weeks’ notice. That kind of detail can make the difference between a workable plan and a last-minute scramble.

Fees, limits, and timing vary a lot

This is the part that surprises many book clubs: ILL rules are local.

One library may offer free requests. Another may charge a service fee. One may allow 10 active requests. Another may cap you at 5. One may renew. Another may not.

A few official examples show how different the rules can be:

• Hampton Public Library, Virginia covers the first 5 book requests received through ILL. Starting with the 6th fulfilled item request, it charges a $5 ILL fee per item. It also allows a maximum of 5 active requests at a time.
• Riverside Public Library, California charges a $2 nonrefundable fee for each ILL request. It says fine balances must stay below $5 to use the service, loans run for 21 days, and renewals are not allowed.
• Fort Bend County Libraries, Texas allows up to 10 active ILL requests on one card. Its page says materials may take up to 3 weeks to arrive, there is no charge to request an ILL, and overdue fines are $1.00 per day.

Those are only examples, not national rules.

So for your own club, ask four simple questions before you count on ILL:

• Is there a library fee for each request?
• Could the lending library add its own fee?
• How many active requests can one cardholder have?
• How long do books usually take to arrive, and can they be renewed?

This is practical information, not legal advice. If a policy, fee, copyright question, or lending restriction matters for your group, confirm it with your library’s interlibrary loan office or the relevant official library office.

Statewide and regional programs can save your club time

For many clubs, the best move is to think bigger than one local branch.

Some state libraries run book-set programs that are built for group reading. These programs can give you longer loan periods, larger sets, and shipping systems designed for libraries.

Utah is a strong example. Book Buzz lends 15-book sets for 56 days, allows reservations up to 1 year in advance, and says sets can ship 1 week before the requested date when available. Private groups may use the program too, but return shipping is their responsibility if the books go to a non-library address.

Indiana offers another useful model. Its State Library youth book club kits contain 15 copies and a discussion guide, while Spanish kits contain 30 copies and a discussion guide. The kits check out for 90 days, users can reserve up to 24 book club kits per month, and the library says to add 2 weeks to the front of the reservation for shipping. Indiana also notes that kits move through the INfoExpress courier system.

Scott County Library System in Iowa shows one more way this can work. Its policy says it will request multiple copies for discussion groups through state-specific ILL processes. It also says the system shares bibliographic and copy information about the book club kits it owns and will lend those kits to libraries in Iowa.

The lesson is simple: if your library says regular ILL is tricky for a club, ask whether your state has a shared-set program, courier service, or special discussion-group process.

If your library says no

A “no” does not always mean the end of the road. It may just mean that ordinary ILL is not the right tool for this title.

If your first request does not work, ask your library:

• whether a book club kit exists nearby,
• whether a statewide program can supply a set,
• whether the title is too new and might work better later,
• whether your group could switch to an older edition or another format,
• or whether the library would consider hosting its own club with a library-managed set.

Sometimes the easiest fix is to choose a book that is older, widely held, and available in several formats. If your club is still forming, How to start a book club at your library can help you think through the library side of the process.

A flexible book choice can open more doors. If one title is hard to borrow in quantity, a similar title may be much easier to get through a kit, a statewide program, or plain old local copies.

Frequently asked questions

Can interlibrary loan get enough copies for every person in my book club?

Sometimes, but not always. Some libraries and systems have special processes for discussion groups instead of standard one-copy ILL. Scott County Library System in Iowa, for example, says it will request multiple copies for discussion groups through Iowa processes and will lend its own book club kits to other Iowa libraries. In other places, a state-run set program may be easier than separate ILL requests.

How early should a book club ask for ILL?

Earlier is better. Official timelines vary, but they can add up quickly. Fort Bend says materials may take up to 3 weeks to arrive. Utah’s Book Buzz asks groups to reserve ahead and says available sets ship 1 week before the needed date. Indiana tells users to add 2 weeks to the front of a reservation for shipping. For a club, several weeks of lead time is a smart baseline.

Who decides the due date and whether we can renew?

The lending library usually decides. That is why one ILL may come with a short due date while another lasts longer. Hampton says the lending library determines the due date and that renewal requests are handled case by case. Riverside says its ILL loans run for 21 days and are not renewed.

What if only one or two members need large print?

Ask about a mixed plan. A statewide set may cover the main group, while ILL may help with an extra format. Utah’s Book Buzz says it does not offer large print sets, but if a group needs one or two large print copies, staff may be able to help through interlibrary loan with several weeks’ notice. That kind of workaround is worth asking about.