University Library > Services > Bronco Express / Interlibrary Loan

LINK+ FAQ

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What is LINK+?
LINK+ is a service which allows students, faculty, and staff to borrow books from member libraries at several other colleges and public libraries, provided that those books are not available at the SCU libraries. There are more than 5.7 million titles in LINK+. Of these, more than 60% are owned by only one member library.
Member Libraries of LINK+
Who Can Use LINK+?
Santa Clara University faculty, students and staff are eligible to use LINK+ as long as they have a current valid SCU ACCESS card and are in good standing with the libraries (e.g., have no outstanding fines, overdue or lost books).
How Do I Use LINK+
LINK+ is accessible in one of three ways:

  1. You may directly search the large central LINK+ database for all of the college libraries listed above, including SCU, at any time, by clicking on Connect to LINK+ from OSCAR's Main Menu. From there, you may search by author, title, keyword or subject just as you do in OSCAR.

  2. After any search in OSCAR (e.g., author, title, keyword, etc.), you may re-do your search in LINK+ by clicking on the SEARCH LINK+button.

  3. You may go to one of the participating libraries to check out books directly as a Visiting Patron.

After searching in LINK+, you will have the option of requesting materials from another library. Simply follow on-screen prompts. You will be asked for your name and barcode number (the number beginning with "25098..." on your ACCESS card).

Can I go to the other LINK+ libraries to check out items?
Yes! Visiting Patron is a wonderful service that allows SCU patrons to check out books directly from other LINK+ libraries. This means that you can visit almost any other LINK+ library, browse their shelves, present your ACCESS card to the circulation staff and go home with the books you have chosen. They will be checked out to you for 21 days. You can return the the books to the SCU Library or directly to the lending library. You can borrow any item that you could borrow through traditional LINK+.

You can go to any of the participating LINK+ libraries except for the libraries in the list above that have a * after their names. These libraries are either closed to the general public or require a card issued by that library. You can continue to borrow items from these libraries through tradititional LINK+.

How will I receive LINK+ items?
LINK+ materials will be delivered to the Library and will usually be available within 3 days for you to pick up at the Circulation Desk. If there is an e-mail address in your OSCAR record, your pickup notices will be e-mailed to you. Otherwise, they will be delivered to your SCU mailbox or sent to your home address. To verify or change your address options please visit the Circulation Desk during regular business hours.

You may monitor the status of your LINK+ request by VIEWING your Circulation Record from OSCAR. You will be able to see when your material has been Requested, or when it is In Transit or Ready for Pickup. When an item is listed as Ready for Pickup, it will be held for you at the Circulation Desk for 10 days.

What are the LINK+ Checkout Policies?

  • LINK+ items circulate for 21 days.

  • One 14 day RENEWAL may be allowed by the lending library.

  • There is a two day grace period for fines.

  • Per the cooperative rules of the libraries involved in LINK+, fines are enforced for all users, including faculty and staff.

  • The fine for late return of LINK+ material is $1.00 per day per item to a maximum of $15.00.

  • The replacement charge for lost LINK+ items is $100.00.

  • Borrowers are limited to 15 LINK+ transactions at one time.

Can I Renew LINK+ items?

Yes! You can request one renewal of a LINK+ book for an extra 2 weeks. You must wait until 3 days prior to the due date before you can request a renewal. To request a renewal:

  1. view your OSCAR record

  2. click on the "xx items currently checked out button"

  3. select the items you would like to renew

  4. click on the "renew selected items" button

The system will not automatically renew the book for you, but will instead request the renewal from the lending library. You need to check back later to see if the renewal has been approved. The status field for those books should have one of three values:

  1. If the renewal request is still being processed, the status field will display RENEW PENDING. Please check back again a little later.

  2. If the renewal is approved, the new due date will display in the status fields. Please return the books on these new due dates. You cannot renew the books a second time.

  3. If the renewal has been denied, the status will be Denied plus the original due dates. Please return the books by the original due dates.

What Can be Checked Out Via LINK+?
Most books are available through LINK+. Materials such as journals, journal articles, computer software, and video cassettes are generally not available. Books owned by any SCU libraries cannot be borrowed from other LINK+ libraries unless all SCU copies are currently checked out.