An interlibrary loan is the borrowing of library materials for DOE Headquarters employees from other libraries.  The library borrows primarily from other Federal libraries and libraries in the metropolitan Washington area.  If materials are not available in the local area the library will attempt to locate the materials in a participating library in the United States.

The turn-around time an interlibrary loan transaction takes is dependent on the time it takes to locate a lending library, the immediacy of the materials, where the lending library is located, and their lending policies.  The normal turn-around time to acquire library materials is 2-4 weeks.  For quicker delivery you must provide a justification.  With justifications for expedited processing there is no guarantee the publication can be located, is available, and can be delivered in the desired timeframe.  Customers will be notified if a requested loan is going to take longer than initially specified.

The Energy Library expects Headquarters' employees to cooperate with interlibrary loan policies and procedures and be respectful to the periods of the loaned materials.  The loan period is set by the lending library.  Extensions of loan periods are sometimes possible but must be requested by the patron in advance of the due date.  Failure to adhere to policies may result in loss of interlibrary loan privileges.

To request this service conatact the Energy Library at:
Forrestal.Library@hq.doe.gov
or call (202) 586-3112