Your library
just got bigger.
Every SmartSuite Library can now request and share resources with any other SmartSuite Library. Borrow before you buy. Share what you no longer need. Trial a book with your students before you commit. Included in every subscription, at no extra cost.
Your collection is bigger than your shelves.
Interlibrary Loans lets any SmartSuite Library request resources from any other SmartSuite Library school. Need a book you don't own? Request it. No longer using something? Share it. Want to trial a title before you buy? Borrow it first.
The full loan lifecycle - request, dispatch, receipt, and return - is tracked inside SmartSuite Library. No spreadsheets, no emails back and forth, no manual follow-up. Just books moving between schools the way they should.
Borrow before you buy
Trial a book with your students before committing budget to a purchase.
Share what you no longer need
Resources sitting unused on your shelves can find a new home at a school that needs them.
Full tracking, no admin overhead
Every request, transit, and return is tracked inside SmartSuite Library automatically.
"It also has the potential for schools to be able to send resources you no longer require to schools that may need more copies."
SmartSuite Librarian
Six steps from request to closed.
Every request moves through a clear, guided lifecycle. Both libraries see exactly where things stand and what happens next. Both get an email at every status change. No chasing. No spreadsheets. No guesswork.
The Requested tab - waiting for the lending library to approve
Requested.
Your library submits a request. Choose a partner library, search their catalogue from inside the form, attach the patron, set a needed-by date and loan duration.
Approved.
The lending library reviews the request in their queue and approves it. Both libraries get an email.
In Transit.
The lending library dispatches the item. Status updates automatically. Both libraries get an email.
Received.
Your library marks the item received. Status updates for both sides. Both libraries get an email.
Returned.
When your patron is done, return the item. Status updates for both sides. Both libraries get an email.
Closed.
The lending library confirms the return and closes the request. Full audit trail preserved.
Every request, every partner, every history, one dashboard.
Interlibrary Loans lives inside SmartSuite Library. Not a separate app. Not a plugin. One dashboard that manages your entire ILL programme, borrowed side and lent side, from first request to final return.
The We've Borrowed tab - three active loans, three different statuses, one dashboard
Two-way workflow.
Track everything you've borrowed and everything you've lent, side by side, in the same dashboard.
Partner catalogue search.
Search a partner library's SmartSuite catalogue from inside the request form. Title, author, and ISBN fill in automatically.
Patron linking.
Look up patrons by name or barcode from your circulation data. Every request is tied to the person who asked for it.
Email notifications.
Automatic emails at every status change, including request details and patron information. Nobody has to remember to send an update.
Partner directory.
Manage your network of partner libraries with contact details and optional catalogue integration per partner.
History and reporting.
Review closed and declined requests, filter by date or partner, and export to CSV or a printable report.
Built-in help.
Guidance on ILL concepts and the request lifecycle, right inside the app.
Purpose-built for consortiums and dioceses.
If your schools already share a consortium or diocese, Interlibrary Loans is the tool you've been asking for. Every school in your group can see every other school's collection. Requests move fast because they're moving between schools that already trust each other. And the aggregated reports show your consortium's true shared collection at a glance.
Consortium and diocese pricing →Who benefits?
Interlibrary Loans makes every SmartSuite Library school part of something bigger.
Teacher-Librarians
- ✓Access resources beyond your school's budget
- ✓Trial titles before purchasing
- ✓Share resources you no longer need
- ✓Full tracking - no spreadsheets or manual follow-up
Classroom Teachers
- ✓Access specialist resources for units of work
- ✓More titles available for student reading programs
- ✓Work with the librarian to source specific texts
- ✓No extra effort - the library handles the logistics
School Leaders
- ✓Extend the library's reach without additional budget
- ✓Make smarter purchasing decisions using trial loans
- ✓Demonstrate resource-sharing and collaboration
- ✓Already included in every SmartSuite Library subscription
"What?! that is on another level, hopefully we can use this to also lend books to each other."
SmartSuite Librarian
Why it matters.
Interlibrary lending turns a group of individual school libraries into one shared collection. Students get access to more resources. Libraries make better use of what they already own. Staff spend their time helping patrons instead of managing spreadsheets and email threads. No single school library can hold everything its students and staff need. So we made sure no SmartSuite Library ever has to.
Interlibrary Loans is included in every SmartSuite Library subscription.
No extra modules. No additional fees. Every SmartSuite Library school is already part of the network. Log in to SmartSuite Library to get started.
Interlibrary Loans is part of the new Circulation in SmartSuite Library
Camera scanning, class list pick, alerts and toasts, kit loans - and now interlibrary loans. All in the new Circulation.
See the new Circulation →