Library Partner Sharing

The MSC Partners Resource Sharing Group (Partners) is a consortium of libraries within the Montana Shared Catalog. Each Partner library opens its collections to the cardholders of all Partner libraries. Within the consortium, a Partner library cardholder in one community can reserve and check out items from a neighboring community or from a library several hundred miles away. Cardholders have access to many more materials, and to more diverse collections, than any one library could offer.

The Vision of Partners is to be a source of enhancement and inspiration for the Montana library community.

The Mission of Partners is to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between member libraries to improve and expand access to and delivery of library materials.

 

A patron whose library participates in a sharing group can place holds on items owned by Partner Libraries.   Using a combination of mail and courier service, the item is delivered to the patron’s home library.

Patrons have easy access to materials from all of the Partner Libraries—essentially tripling the size of the Library collection.

Patrons can use their Library cards at any Partner Library.

All regular patrons can check out an unlimited number of items. (NEW patrons and patrons with restricted accounts will still only be able to check-out a specific number of items.)

Interlibrary Loans

Interlibrary Loans, or ILLs for short, are special requests for our Library to borrow materials that are not available to patrons because they are not owned by any of the Partner Libraries. All Great Falls Public Library patrons in good standing. are welcome to submit an Interlibrary Loan request.

Materials owned by Partner Libraries or published less than a year before the current date are not eligible for borrowing through ILL. Please submit a Request to Purchase instead.

 

  • Call the Great Falls Public Library 406.453.0349 and ask to speak to the reference desk staff. OR
  • Send an email to questions@greatfallslibrary.org Please include your Library Card number and all the information (title, author etc.) of the item that you wish to borrow. OR
  • Request an ILL through the Library Catalog Request function.

  • Call the Great Falls Public Library 406.453.0349 and ask to speak to reference desk staff. They will make a request to the lending library. Renewal decisions are made by the Library that loans us the item.
  • Mail is taking longer than usual; please put in a renewal request if your loan period has been shortened.

  • Loan period is determined by the lending library and may vary between 1 to 6 weeks.
  • Interlibrary Library Loans are FREE if they are borrowed from a Montana Library that is in the Courier system. There is a $3.00 fee for any ILL that obtained through the mail.
    NOTE: Some Libraries charge to lend items. The patron is responsible for paying any lending costs. Staff will always check for patron permission before borrowing an item with additional charges.

Questions? Please contact the Library at 406.453.0349