Brock Library’s interlibrary loan service for physical books returns Monday, March 8 as the University moves into Stage 2 (Red/Control) of its own COVID-19 response framework.

Brock is joining a growing number of Ontario universities restarting this shared, co-ordinated service. This expands on the interlibrary loan service for electronic materials, which has continued throughout the pandemic.

While the critical research support service is resuming, the realities of COVID-19 mean that users may see unfulfilled or cancelled print requests due to library location closures and restrictions on loaning physical copies.

Turnaround times will also be longer due to delays with couriers and Canada Post, quarantine requirements for materials and limited staff on site across university partners to manage mail routes and lending.

As a result, print interlibrary loans will be most useful for people engaged in long-term research, rather than those with an immediate need for materials.

Brock Library continues to support access to collections and resources through a variety of means including expanded access to digital collections (including HathiTrust) and scanning of local print collections.

For the latest on how health and government guidelines affect Brock University Library services and access, visit the Library’s COVID-19 updates page.