Interlibrary Loans


Requesting an item not found in the Library Catalog


 If the material you want is not available in the Humboldt County Library Catalog, you may request it as an Interlibrary Loan or as a Zip Book. For this service, the Library borrows materials from other libraries or acquires a needed book on your behalf.  

New materials less than one year old cannot be borrowed from other libraries.  Instead, please make a Purchase Suggestion.

For an Interlibrary loan, you need

  • Your full-service library card
  • The title and author of the book or article
  • The publication date of the book or article

Request an Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan Button - fill out the online form.

To Library Home Page

The library logo - framed by a book, a mighty redwood stands by water and hills.

Returning Your Loan

Please package your item securely in a padded mailer before placing it in a library book drop.

How long will it take for my book, microfilm, or article copy to get here?


Items borrowed from other library systems may take from two to six weeks to arrive.  Difficult items may take longer. 

Materials such as entire issues of magazines, rare or valuable books, reference books, genealogy or microforms can be difficult to borrow.  When requesting them, be sure to let us know if your request should be cancelled if not filled by a certain date. If you want to check the availability of your item in other libraries, you can search WorldCat.

Getting your item may take longer during COVID-19


Due to closures and staff cuts in libraries across the country, it's harder to find libraries that are willing and able to lend their items. As a result, your Interlibrary Loan request may take longer to process than usual, your borrowing period may be shorter, or we may find other problems along the way. Sometimes the only library willing to lend may charge a fee – we will check with you before borrowing in that case. We will be sure to contact you if we just can't get your item for any reason.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.



How long can I have the item, and can I renew an Interlibrary Loan?


For Interlibrary Loan items, the library that owns the item sets the due date, tells us whether you can renew it, and may specify in-library use only for certain special books or materials. Your due date will be noted on the paperwork that comes with your item. Any request for renewal should be made 5 days in advance of the due date. 

You may have a total of four (4) Interlibrary Loan requests at any one time. This includes article photocopy requests.