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Interlibrary loan

Use interlibrary loan (ILL) to request items that are not owned by Hennepin County Library.

If Hennepin County Library does not own an item, you can use MNLINK to search for and request it from academic and public libraries throughout Minnesota. If you can't find the item in MNLINK, Ask Us for assistance.

MNLINK

Borrowing

Loan period

The loan period for an interlibrary loan is three weeks. Interlibrary loans cannot be renewed.

Limits

You can have up to 10 active interlibrary loan requests per patron. Requests are active from the time they are placed until the item has been returned to a Hennepin County Library and checked in by the Interlibrary Loan department.

Lending libraries may decline to lend any item and may limit the number of times they will send an item. Items previously borrowed through interlibrary loan may not be available again.

Pick up items

Most requests are filled in two to three weeks. Some take longer due to demand for the item, how widely it is held, and delivery schedules. You will be notified by email or phone when the item is ready for to pick up.

Fees

There's no charge for interlibrary loan service, except for some microfilm requests that require pre-paid fees.

Cancel a request

To cancel an ILL request, please contact Ask Us by phone, email, or text. You can also request a cancellation at a library service desk. Please provide your library card number, and the title and format of the requested item, and your cancelation request will be forwarded to Interlibrary Loan.

Copy requests

Before requesting a photocopy from Interlibrary Loan, please search Hennepin County Library’s catalog and online resources. Interlibrary Loan is reserved for requesting items that cannot be obtained from our own collections and subscription databases. Copy requests submitted to Interlibrary Loan, for items owned by Hennepin County Library (including reference materials), will be cancelled.

To request a copy via MNLINK

  • Visit your MNLINK account page.
  • Select “Title Not Found? Request items and articles here” from the lefthand sidebar.

Complete the request form

  • Under “Request type” select Copy.
  • Select the copyright type from the dropdown menu.
    • Copyright type is based on the publication date.
      • CCG = items published within the last 5 years.
      • CCL = items published more than 5 years ago.
  • Provide as many details as possible and include publication title; date published; article, chapter, or paper title; and page numbers.
  • Although you will be asked to select a pick-up location—if you would like a PDF copy of the item, please enter your email address in the patron notes field.

PDFs are often emailed via a password-protected link. The link and password are in the body of the email message. Most links can be accessed 5 times; however, you can download the PDF to your own device.

If the requested copy can be found in a circulating item, our lender may choose to send an entire physical volume so that you can create your own photocopy. Due to a variety of circumstances—such as the condition, licensing, or availability of an item—not all requests are honored. In addition to that, some institutions require that patrons review an item in person.

Examples of copy requests

  • Articles that cannot be accessed via Hennepin County Library’s physical and electronic resources (when in doubt, speak with information staff).
  • Obituaries and newspaper articles only available outside of Hennepin County Library.
  • Pages from a periodical or book (not accessible via Hennepin County Library) including chapters, tables of contents, and index pages.
  • Portions of items from a special collection located at another institution; this includes manuscript materials, theses, maps, and files.

Microfilm requests

Items on microfilm, especially newspapers, may be requested. Microfilm is only for in-library use at one of the libraries that has microform readers/printers: Brookdale, Minneapolis Central, Ridgedale, or Southdale.

Some historical societies require pre-payment for loans.