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Request Items

Show All Answers

1. How do I borrow an item that is checked out to someone else?

If an item isn't available, you can request that it be held for you through the online catalog.

You can also request it by contacting your library.

You will be notified by email or phone when the item is ready for pick-up.

How do I request a hold...

2. Can materials from another Cumberland County library be sent to my local library?

If you need something that is at another Cumberland County library, you can request that it be held for you through the online catalog.

You can also request it by contacting your library.

When it's available, it will be delivered to your library. (The library system has daily delivery services between libraries.)

You will be notified by email or phone when the item is ready for pick-up.

Request a hold...

3. Is there a limit on how many items I can request online at one time?

Yes. You can have up to 15 items requested on your library card at any one time.

If you have a temporary library card, you may only request 2 items online until you pick up your permanent card.

4. What happens if I'm unable to pick-up materials set aside for me? (Unclaimed Holds)

Effective July 1, 2012, your account will be charged for each item that is not picked up by you.

For more information, please see the policy on Placing Requests for Items

5. What should I do if I don't want a book that is being held for me?

Please contact your library and tell them you no longer need the item.

This will allow the next person on the request list to get the title sooner.

6. I'm going out of town. Can I tell the library not to hold items for me temporarily?

You can suspend any pending hold requests until the date you return.

This means that until that date, your name will advance on the waiting list, but if the item becomes available while your request is suspended, your name will be skipped.

Hold statuses may be suspended by calling the library or by logging into My Account and changing the request status.

7. Can I suggest a book or other item for the library's collection?

Yes. While we can't guarantee that we will purchase it, your suggestion will be considered.

Library staff evaluate suggestions by reading reviews, considering its subject content and price, as well as its context within the library's whole collection.

If it is purchased, a hold will be placed on it for you. You will be notified when it is available for loan.

Purchase Suggestion Form...

8. What if the library doesn't own a book that I need?

If the item is new (has been published in the last 6 months or year), you may suggest it for purchase.

If the book is not new, you may place an interlibrary loan request for it.

This service, usually free of charge, borrows books and other materials from public and academic libraries from across the nation.

It usually takes 2 to 4 weeks to get an item through interlibrary loan.