- The Interlibrary Loan borrowing service is available to any registered Contra Costa County Library patron with an active library card.
- We will not borrow items for patrons who have outstanding fines or overdue material.
- To make a request, please come into any Contra Costa County Library branch location.
- Prepayment of a non-refundable service fee of $5.00 per title must be made at the time of request. Although we try to request materials from libraries that don’t charge fees, some lending libraries may have additional fees. These fees average approximately $20.00 per request; however, the maximum fees can be in excess of $100.00.
- Please allow 4-6 weeks to receive your request. You will be notified by phone or email.
- Materials can be checked out for up to 3 weeks, unless otherwise stated. (For example, any materials borrowed from the Library of Congress will be for in library use only, with no exceptions.)
- Photocopy requests will be made in accordance with current copyright laws.
- Bands or labels with ILL information should not be removed.
- To ensure that the item is not available through our catalog or our database collections, please consult with library staff before making your request.
Materials that may be requested through interlibrary loan:
A. Books
- Books with a copyright date two years or older from the current year.
B. Periodical Articles
- Individual articles may be requested when complete bibliographic information is given (journal name, date, title of article, author, pages).
- Libraries do not interlibrary loan entire issues.
- Additional charges may apply. Estimate between 10 and 25 cents per page.
C. Microfilm
- United States Census on microfilm:
To order the correct reel, consult federal census schedules such as the "Federal Population Censuses 1790-1890", "The 1900 Federal Population Census", "The 1910 Federal Population" and "The 1920 Population Census." Additional charges may apply. A separate request is needed for each year. - Newspapers on microfilm:
The interlibrary loan department may be able to borrow newspapers from state agencies or historical and genealogical associations. Forward any supporting letters or information along with the Interlibrary Loan Request. Extra charges may apply. A separate request is needed for each title. - Only the Pleasant Hill, Pinole and Antioch libraries have microfilm reader printers.
Materials that may NOT be requested through interlibrary loan:
A. Bestsellers or high demand titles
B. Books less than two years old
C. Audiovisual Material
D. CD's
Interlibrary Loan Request Form
Because of the service fee, the form must be brought into any Contra Costa
County Library location for processing.
Not in our catalog? You can fill out a suggestion for purchase.