Interlibrary Loans

Looking for a title but can't find it in our collection here at Barrie Public Library? We may be able to borrow the item from another library system in Ontario through an Interlibrary Loan.

Before you make a request to borrow from another library system, make sure you’ve checked to see if we have it in our catalogue myBPL.  We cannot borrow an item from another library if we own it ourselves, if it is published within the last 12 months, or if it is a DVD/Blu-Ray or video game.

For a physical book or audiobook (not-digital) published within the last 12 months, you may request that we purchase the title for our own collection by Suggesting a Title.  Requests for us to purchase eBooks or eAudiobooks need to be submitted through your account in cloudLibrary.

To make a request for an Interlibrary Loan, you need a valid Barrie Public Library card. 
Call us at 705-728-1010 or email us at askus@barrielibrary.ca and provide your full name, address, home phone number, pickup location (Downtown, Painswick or Holly library), and your library card number.

We have recently migrated our Interlibrary Loan software along with the rest of the connected library systems across Ontario and transitioned to the new platform.

For patrons who are interested in having access to the Self-Serve Portal, please fill out a request form.  Once received, staff will contact you to have an account created.

Note that interlibrary loan requests are limited to 3 active requests per account at a time.

Accessing materials through Interlibrary Loans is FREE! 

It is important to note, however, that while Barrie Public Library is Fine Free and does not charge fees incurred for overdue materials provided they are returned, items borrowed through Interlibrary Loans follow the borrowing policies of other library systems and fees can be charged on patron accounts for late, lost, and damaged materials. 

Should other library systems charge the Barrie Public Library for material a patron has failed to return, the library is obligated to pay that amount to the owning library system and will in turn place that incurred fee onto the borrowing patron's library account.

Waiting times vary depending on the lending library system and the materials requested - if an item is readily available from a different library system, a two week wait is the average but it can take up to six weeks or longer for a request to be fulfilled and received.  

You will be notified based on the preferred method specified in your library account (phone message, text, or email).  Once the requested item is available at your designated pick-up location, prompt pick-up ensures that you will have the maximum borrowing time set by the lending library system.

Self-serve patrons can view the status of requests by looking at their account in the Self-Serve portal.  When logged in to the portal, you can find title information, submission date, and the status of your requests. 

If your request has been cancelled, the reason for the cancellation will be listed in the portal.  Additionally, if there are any issues with your request you will receive an email from the Interlibrary Loan team.  If we do not have an email address connected to your account, a note will be placed on your Barrie Public Library account and you will be notified at your next visit.

To renew an item, send an email to askus@barrielibrary.ca several days prior to the due date of the item to request a renewal. The request will be forwarded to the lending library system and they will determine whether or not they will permit a renewal – this is not a decision made by the Barrie Public Library.

You cannot renew an item through the Self-Serve Interlibrary Loan portal.

Libraries will not normally lend the following:

• old, rare, or valuable material
• reference and genealogical material
• material in high demand at the lending library (i.e. current bestsellers), materials published within the last year
• curriculum material, including textbooks
• scripts, screenplays, libretti, and scores
• multi-volume sets
• DVDs/Blu-Rays

In addition, some libraries will not lend:

• sound recordings
• entire issues of magazines or journals