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Marina Interlibrary Loan banner with three orange arrows pointing to shelves full of books.

Search several Maryland library catalogs for materials not available locally and and request items for interlibrary loan.

If we don't have the items you're looking for, ask library staff for assistance in your search or access the statewide Marina system.

Access Marina

 

To Place a Request:

  • Select above button to access Marina or enter the online catalog from any library computer, select Interlibrary Loan (Marina) on the top navigation.
  • Enter your library card number (without spaces) at the patron ID prompt. Select the Login button.
  • Enter search term by author, title, or subject. Select the Search button.
 

Searching Marina:

All public library systems in Maryland have access to the Marina service, which is a free statewide method of requesting books from other public libraries in Maryland that are not owned by the borrower’s library system.

To request an item from Marina:

  1. First check the WCFL catalog to make sure that it is not available through the Washington County Free Library.
  2. At the top of the catalog page, select the Interlibrary Loan (Marina) link.
  3. Select the blue Access Marina button near the top of the page.
  4. Enter your library card number (without spaces) at the patron ID prompt. Select the Login button.
  5. Enter search term by author, title, or subject. Select the Search button.
  6. At the Results Screen, select the title link to get more information.

If results are found (Requestable Items), use one of the two options below:

  1. If your request is found and is currently available through WCFL, you will be provided with a Check Local Catalog link to request a regular Hold from our catalog.
    OR
  2. If your request is found, but is not in our catalog, select the branch where you would like to pick up your materials and then select Request to submit the request.

If your request is found but is Not Requestable, it becomes an OCLC request; please follow the steps below (more information also available in the next section):

  1. Select the provided Request link to place an ILL (OCLC Interlibrary Loan) request through the Washington County Free Library.
  2. Once you select Request, the ILL form will populate with the title that you searched for.
  3. If the form isn't automatically populated, you must fill out the Author, Title, and Pick Up Location for the resource. These are required fields.
  4. You must also check the acknowledgement box at the end of the form to accept WCFL's condition for placing ILL requests.

Once the required fields on the form are complete, the Submit button will be available to submit your request. If an email is listed on your library account, a copy of the request will be sent to your inbox. Otherwise, we suggest saving or printing a copy of the request for your records.

If your request is not found at all, see the information below.

 

Beyond Marina

Requesting Materials from Public Libraries Outside of Maryland and Academic Libraries (Beyond Marina)

The Washington County Free Library can request library materials from public libraries outside of Maryland and from academic libraries, but this is done through a different process and has additional restrictions and requirements. These items will be requested through the Online Computer Library Center (or OCLC) and we cannot guarantee that the lending libraries will always be willing to loan these items out. These items also require an additional postage cost, and some materials may be quite expensive, sometimes requiring insurance before the lending library will ship the item.

For these reasons, the following guidelines/restrictions apply (effective 9/3/2024):

  • Borrowers are limited to 3 free items per month. After 3 items, there will be a $5.00 fee per item to help cover postage costs and allow the library to continue to offer this service. In-house use of an item counts towards the 3 free items.
  • The $5.00 postage fee will be added to your library card account; you may pay at any WCFL Circulation Desk or online. This fee will not be waived for items that were not picked up by the user.
  • This service is unavailable to RAIL card users.
  • We will not be able to get items published in the current year or items that have not yet been published.
  • There is a limit of 10 items requested per day.
  • Some requests may be denied if the lending library requires us to pay insurance on the item or if the replacement cost of the item if lost or damaged is too high.
  • Materials cannot be renewed and should be returned promptly when due.

Requests for OCLC items can be made at the Information Services Desk at the Fletcher Branch and at the public service desks of any of the other branches. You may also request items online yourself. To begin, either search for an item and follow instructions above or do the following:

  • From the Interlibrary Loan (Marina) page on WCFL’s website, select the blue Access Marina button near the top of the page.
  • Sign into Marina with your library card number.
  • Go to My Account (person icon in the top righthand corner, then My Account).
  • Under Add Request, select the appropriate material type (book, article, or book chapter).
  • Fill out the Book Request form (fields with a red asterisk are required).
  • Submit (bottom of the page).

When filling out the OCLC request form, keep in mind that for the field labeled Service Type, Loan refers to regular materials, like books, DVDs, and audiobooks, and Copy should only be used when requesting a copy of an article.

Please also be aware that no eBooks or downloadable audiobooks will be available through Interlibrary Loan.

If the item you wish to request is not in Marina, or the request is denied, please ask information staff to request it for you through other Interlibrary Loan sources. If you have any questions, please ask library staff.