Tracy Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I recently heard that a nearby library system in IL was no longer receiving funding for inter-library loans. Most of the libraries were still doing ILLs and paying for it themselves, but one library had opted not to participate in ILL. I am very concerned about this, because I love my literature-based programs, but I can't afford to buy all those books. Anyone else heard of libraries not doing ILL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RecumbentHeart Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our surrounding counties cut ILLs quite some time back from what I understand. Our local libraries have also cut back their hours to avoid complete closure (that had actually been a real possibility .. may still be). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Similarly, I heard, although did not verify, that our libraries were getting ZERO stated dollars this coming fiscal year...ouch! I rely heavily on the library, so my fingers keep crossed and my prayers often include my library! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our library started charging $5 per item 2 years ago. I think that is fair. I liked it better when it was free, but that seems reasonable, and it limited what I would request. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our library started charging $5 per item 2 years ago. I think that is fair. I liked it better when it was free, but that seems reasonable, and it limited what I would request. Did you get the money back? Or was it a straight fee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 (edited) Our library started charging $5 per item 2 years ago. I think that is fair. I liked it better when it was free, but that seems reasonable, and it limited what I would request. Our frequent use library charges per item as well; it is a flat fee (no money back) which I was told they use to cover the shipping. The library closer to us (which we almost never use) does not do ILL at all. Edited June 9, 2010 by Zoo Keeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 It is a flat fee per item. That is the Cincinnati library system, but if I am feeling stingy, I can go across the river to KY where ILL is still free. I hope that they don't phase it all out. I don't mind a charge as long as it is available, KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted June 9, 2010 Author Share Posted June 9, 2010 Because my kids are little, I order a dozen or more a week. In addition to ordering books to go with lessons, I like to order things off book lists so I know I am getting good literature instead of the fluff that is so ever-present nowadays. At $5 each, I would be better off buying the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 the Charlotte, NC library system is closing 16 branches. So, so sad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RecumbentHeart Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 the Charlotte, NC library system is closing 16 branches. So, so sad! That's where I am. I knew nothing about it until I mentioned to DH that we need to get back to the library sometime soon and he was like .. "err ... I'm not sure it's still there." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophiaH Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our library started charging $5 per item 2 years ago. I think that is fair. I liked it better when it was free, but that seems reasonable, and it limited what I would request. Our library started charging $2 per item last year. That's enough to keep me from using it at all, but I'm a cheapskate. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennay Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 the Charlotte, NC library system is closing 16 branches. So, so sad! Wow! Unbelievable. I go back and forth between building a home library and and relying on the library. This certainly makes me think twice about purging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 A neighboring city will close its branch within a month or two after a failed vote. It was part of our local library's interlibrary loan program. It's been so disappointing to look at the online catalog, and inevitably it's the only branch that has the book that I want, time and time again. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I have not heard about any of ours closing. I do know our ILL are still free here, but other towns around us charge. Now our little library here does a lot of fund raising, book sales, and a lot of people donate to it also. I think this really helps it stay open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our library has cut hours, cut the amount of time books can be checked out, increased fees, and started charging for all "visual media". It has effected how I do things. I can only keep books out for 3 weeks now. I can renew once if no one has it on hold. I can only keep dvds for 1 week (and I have to pay for it). It made history much more difficult. Our library was not stellar to begin with :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepymommy Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 We have 6 branches and 2 are closing. An ILL fee has recently been implemented as well. $3. The late fee dues have also gone up, used to be 10 cents per day, now its 25 cents per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 (edited) Our bigger library charges $1 a book for it and our smaller local library says they can do it but whenever I've asked for books I KNOW they can get elsewhere they say they can't find it/get it. I did join the Friends of the Library board though and get to help decide what books/audio visual materials to buy now :) Our Children's section has NO books on CD so they basically left it up to me to decide what to buy -it's like a kid in a candy store.... Edited June 9, 2010 by Ann in IA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our library has no ILL (if you mean by that borrowing from libraries other than in the current system) and you can only have 5 holds at once. Ugh. HARD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen the RD Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 WOW! I feel so-o-o-o-o-o fortunate! I live in GA in a rural county and so far, even with all the state budget problems, I can still use ILL for free. There have been threats by our county commissioners to cut the library budget or even close one of the two libraries in the county. DD and I went and spoke at a recent forum on behalf of the library. We are avid users. Funny thing is both libraries are always crowded and full of people. Somehow it almost seems sacreligious to close a library--it's one of the only tax related items WE all can use and benefit from! Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Sherry Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our public library is still free and they borrow from other branches in the system. Hopefully, none of the library services will be cut. In a nearby city, they have just built a new building for one of their branches, so the system around here seems to be doing O.K. for now. I think how the libraries do may depend a lot on whether the public has been voting for them to receive funds or not. So they are a reflection of how tight people are having to tighten their belts or not. When people cannot pay their mortgages or other bills they are not going to vote in funds for the libraries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottagechick Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Soo so sad to hear about all these closings! I noticed our libraries here upped the fee for late books ( to .25), but that's about it. They just finished remodeling every branch in the city....it would be a horrid waste of money if they closed any of them. Thankfully we live in an area where there are lots of homeschoolers, and they do a really good job catering to our needs. There have only been maybe 3 times in the last 14 years I couldn't find a book I needed. Course there's only been 2 times I've been turned over to collections for accumulating fees. :001_huh: Lately, I've been doing well avoiding fees, or paying them right away because I don't want to be one who causes the library financial woes.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted June 9, 2010 Author Share Posted June 9, 2010 Course there's only been 2 times I've been turned over to collections for accumulating fees. :001_huh: :lol: I used to work in collections, and I never met anyone that owed a library! But now that I am using the library so avidly, I can totally see this happening. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayneJ Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Our library only does loans if the book is over $20 dollars and even then I have heard that generally it will not approve paperbacks of any kind, this also cuts out children s books which is really sad. The only nice thing about living near Atlanta is our county has 13 libraries so we have lots of choices. Consider paperbackswap I have found lots of books on the site that I couldn't get from my library. You can give put books on wish list and when someone post the book you wished for you're in line to get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H0MEFree Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 My library has always made you pay $3 for every book you get. Sooooo, I just go buy it because at that point I pretty much have in most cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvToRead Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 The state owes our ILL system quite a bit of money, but they are doing everything they can to keep it going. I would rather pay a fee then to see the ILL program close completely. I think somewhere around $1 or $2 per request seems reasonable. If the fee was $5 per request, I would probably just buy the book, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arstephia Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I have joined several libraries in our county and even one an hour away to get our books. For the one in the bigger city I can reserve the books online, the ILL are free, and I got an extra card so my friend can pick them up for me if she goes there for her dr appts. and things. I have found it is cheaper for me to buy and resell a lot of the books though instead of paying the $1.25/book for the ILL in my little town if I need it for more then the one week loan period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I feel really lucky that my library still has its ILL program and doesn't charge for it! Especially since we order plenty of ILL books for SOTW! There had been some concern a while back when the library budget was at issue. There WERE some budget cuts but fortunately as of now ILL wasn't one of them. Our library at the time had a bulletin posted asking that its members write to their local representatives telling them how important the library is to them. My daughter and I both wrote letters (and in fact my daughter was invited to meet our senator because of her letter)! I would hope that when library budgets come up again that you would all do the same. Our representatives need to hear from a lot of us about how important library programs and services are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 ILL costs for shipping here, so I haven't used it. But we've got a wonderful library. I can put books on hold via the internet and they'll pull them from the shelves and get them to the branch I request. We intentionally bought our house in this county to have the library access (or I'd pay for the card). I can also request they buy books. I don't know if they'll get the Liping Ma book (just requested they buy that), but they did buy a DVD on Everest years ago and last year got Wynton Marsalis's music series at my request :) I <3 my library! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 We have free ILL right now but it is up for a vote this summer. It is *likely* to be dropped from what my librarian said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibrarianMom Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Here in Illinois all of the nine regional library systems are in dire financial straits as the state is not paying its bills. The library system you are referring to has asked each of its member libraries to pay a percentage (based on their size) of the cost for the ILL van that transports materials from library to library. The largest library is refusing to pay and is basically thumbing their nose at the other libraries and the system saying we have the biggest collection and we don't need the rest of you. They are choosing to use ILL from outside of their local system (through the mail) or just purchase the requested items. My guess is that if their library has the books you need they will still accept your in-system library card. Unless you live in that specific library district I wouldn't worry about it too much. Feel free to PM me if you need more information. As an Illinois librarian (in a college) and an Illinois library user, I'm following this situation very closely. I recently heard that a nearby library system in IL was no longer receiving funding for inter-library loans. Most of the libraries were still doing ILLs and paying for it themselves, but one library had opted not to participate in ILL. I am very concerned about this, because I love my literature-based programs, but I can't afford to buy all those books. Anyone else heard of libraries not doing ILL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommytobees Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 :lol: I used to work in collections, and I never met anyone that owed a library! But now that I am using the library so avidly, I can totally see this happening. :lol: Snicker, I can up your "known" persons count... I moved without paying my library fines one time (not intentionally, I just didn't realize) and by the time it caught up with me it was 2 moves and 4 years later. I paid it. :D:D Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Our area is having ILL woes although right now it is still available and still free but they keep adding restrictions to try to keep costs down. Apparently the last restriction didn't work so they've come up with another. At the end of this month we will no longer be able to request A/V material from other libraries. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Wow, I feel really fortunate. Our library system includes about 30 libraries. Our ILLs are free, we can have 25 items on hold and 50 items checked out and for 3 wks at a time for a total of 9 wks before having to take the items in for "inspection" before checking them back out if no one else has put a hold on the items. They just started charging overdue fines last June and it's only 15 cents/day per item. When you hit $5 you have to pay it down to under $5 (it can be $4.99, but not $5) in order to check something else out. I don't know what I would do for history or science were it not for ILL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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