One way to get the most bang for your buck while using library resources is to take advantage of Interlibrary Loan. Christian County Library offers a number of different ways that library patrons can borrow materials from other libraries. The library district’s collection contains about 60,000 items, all of which can be searched for and reserved in Christian County Library’s online catalog, COOLcat. But what if the library doesn’t own the title you want?
First, if you can’t locate the book you want in COOLcat and it’s a new or not-yet-published title, your best bet is to suggest the library purchase the title.
This is especially true if the book was published within the last six months or has a publication date up to six months from now. New titles are often checked out and have long lists of patrons waiting to borrow them at other libraries, and so can be difficult to borrow through Interlibrary Loan. Your library can purchase and catalog new titles relatively quickly, and when you suggest a title for purchase, your name goes on the list to borrow that item. You can also use our Suggest a Purchase form for not-so-new items you think the library should own, and our Collections department determine whether it meets our guidelines for purchase.
If we don’t own it, your Christian County Library card allows you to borrow millions of other items from libraries across the U.S. If you’re looking for a title the library doesn’t own, start with MOBIUS, a network of public and academic libraries to which Christian County Library belongs. Search for your item in the MOBIUS catalog. Once you’ve located it, click the request button, enter your library and card number, and select your nearest Christian County pick-up location, including any of our three branches located in Ozark, Nixa, and Clever, or choose one of our community partner pick-up sites in Sparta, Highlandville, or Billings. Your requested item will be delivered to Christian County Library by courier, processed by our staff, and sent to your preferred pick-up location, after which you’ll be contacted by phone or e-mail to let you know your item is ready.
If you can’t locate the title you want in MOBIUS, click the Prospector banner in the left sidebar of the MOBIUS catalog. Prospector is a MOBIUS partner, with many Prospector libraries based in Colorado. Requesting and delivery with a Prospector item is the same as MOBIUS. Lending libraries set the check-out policies for their own items, but generally MOBIUS and Prospector items can be borrowed for one to four weeks, with most books checking out for four weeks and allowing two renewals.
If you still didn’t find the title you wanted after searching MOBIUS and Prospector, don’t despair! Christian County Library employs a team of librarians that can search libraries across the country to try to locate a library that will lend the title you need. Submit a traditional interlibrary loan request to our Interlibrary Loan request form, also available in the left sidebar on COOLcat. Interlibrary loan shipping and borrowing times can vary, depending on the rarity of an item, its location in the country, and the processes of lending libraries, so the wait time varies with this service, but our patrons are often delighted to receive titles from as far away as New York, Alaska, or other distant libraries.
These services are popular among library users in the know, and Christian County Library employs a busy staff of three to process and handle requests and materials going to or coming from other libraries around the country. We’re here to help you find what you need and help you navigate these options, so call your branch to request more information.