Board approves expanded interlibrary loan policy capping requests at five

The Dell Rapids Library Board on a voice vote approved a rewritten interlibrary loan policy that expands procedural detail and sets a firm cap on outstanding requests.

Library Director Britney presented the draft, saying the one-page policy previously used caused repeated confusion for patrons and staff. "We got the $10,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation. That is gonna go towards, wall repair and repainting the interior of the library," she said while reviewing budget items and policy work; later she explained the new interlibrary loan policy "outlines how they put in the request, what types of items are eligible, how they can do that" to make the process clearer for patrons.

Trustees focused on whether the policy's language about 'requests' versus 'loans' would match patron expectations (for example, Libby app behavior). After clarifying language that a patron "may have no more than five interlibrary loans at any given time" — counting both requested and borrowed items — Trustee (speaker 2) moved to approve the policy with that amendment; Trustee (speaker 7) seconded and the President announced the policy approved by voice vote.

The new policy reinforces that lending libraries determine loan periods and renewals and specifies procedures for overdue or lost items. The director said she will update the text with the agreed language and circulate the tracked changes before the next meeting.

What happens next: the director will publish the revised policy and operationalize the five-item cap in the circulation workflow.