Enrichment · Passion Projects

The book is in
another library.

Interlibrary loan brings almost any book or article to your local library, but it takes time and the clock is set by another library. Log each request with the date you need it; the page shows what will not arrive in time and what is due back soon.

Add a requestWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Passion projects kit, $39 for 34 items.

Your requests

The worked example is made up: a book for a history project needed in nine days and not yet shipped, and another due back in two days. Saved on this device only.

Loading the request form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion Projects$5

What you finish with
A record per request: title, author, format, citation, purpose, library, date needed, date requested, status and due-back date, and five habits. Counts days until each item is needed and due back; flags requests unlikely to arrive in time, passed needs, close due dates, incomplete citations and notes to take before returning.
Who it is for
Students doing research projects, National History Day and debate students, teachers, homeschoolers and independent researchers.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per request. Prints a request list, every request in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Passion projects kit ($39) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Check your own library first.
  2. Add the request with a full citation.
  3. Set the date you truly need it by.
  4. Update the status as it moves.
  5. Take notes and return it on time.

Add a request

How a loan travels

How an interlibrary loan travels1Check at home firstYour catalog and databases mayalready have it2Request itA full citation and the dateyou need it by3A lender is foundYour library asks librariesthat own it, in turn4It ships or arrives by emailArticles in days; books oftenin one to two weeks5Use itSome lenders allow library useonly6Return it on timeIt belongs to anotherlibrary’s readersHow an interlibrary loan travels1Check at home firstYour catalog and databases may alreadyhave it2Request itA full citation and the date you need itby3A lender is foundYour library asks libraries that own it,in turn4It ships or arrives by emailArticles in days; books often in one totwo weeks5Use itSome lenders allow library use only6Return it on timeIt belongs to another library’s readers
Libraries share through networks such as OCLC’s WorldShare and state systems. Times vary; rare, new or very popular items take longer or cannot be lent.

Articles are faster

For a journal article, libraries usually send a scan by email, often within a few days. A single chapter can sometimes be scanned the same way, which is quicker than shipping the whole book.

Ask a librarian

Librarians can find a nearby library that owns the item, suggest a different edition or point you to a database you did not know you had. That conversation often saves the wait.

Sources

  1. American Library Association. Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States (ala.org).
  2. OCLC. WorldCat and WorldShare Interlibrary Loan (oclc.org; worldcat.org).
  3. U.S. Copyright Office. Section 108: reproduction by libraries and archives (copyright.gov).
  4. National History Day. Research roadmap (nhd.org).

The worked examples are made up, and the titles are invented. Each library sets its own rules and fees. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.