Changes to InterLibrary Loan
At the end of 2024, our provincial InterLibrary Loan system underwent a big change: we are now using a new website to trade items like books, DVDs and AudioBooks between libraries. This also means that it’s easier for our members to browse what’s available and make requests through our new online portal. But at Brighton Public Library you can also still make requests the ‘vintage’ way, by speaking to staff when you visit the library.
We were excited to launch this new system in Brighton in November, but the CUPW postal strike kept us from sending or receiving books and DVDs. Now, we are waiting for the backlog of requests to clear. You can still submit requests (online or in person) but these are taking extra time to move through our system. We typically bring in over 1,000 items to Brighton, every year!
How InterLibrary Loan Works
When you submit an InterLibrary Loan request, your request is submitted to libraries across the province. Your item might come from Sudbury or from Trenton, depending on where it is available. This means that it can take several weeks for an item you’ve requested to arrive at the Brighton Public Library.
When your request arrives, we make that book a temporary part our our collection so it can be checked out to your BPL card. When it’s ready to be picked up, we call you! The library that sent it to us will have already set a due date for the item to be returned, no matter when you pick it up.
If you need to renew your InterLibrary Loan, BPL staff need to contact the library that sent your item. It can take time to get a confirmation, so please let us know well in advance of your due date if you need to renew.
We are not able to ask libraries to send items that are less than a year old – libraries like to keep their new items for their own communities to enjoy. If you would like an item that is less than a year old, please ask us to purchase it for the Brighton collection!
We also cannot request an item that we already have here in Brighton – our system automatically screens these types of requests and will keep it from going through. You can place a hold on any item we have in our collection, through our website or by speaking with staff. We will call you when it is ready to be picked up, just like we do with InterLibrary Loans.