Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan is a special service the Central Arkansas Library System provides to its patrons. We borrow materials for short-term use from other public, university, and special libraries from across the United States. Because these materials belong to another library we have special restrictions and deadlines that must be adhered to by CALS patrons.

Using MOBIUS

The Central Arkansas Library System is part of a consortium of libraries which share materials using a system called MOBIUS. Each library using MOBIUS loans their materials to each other for patron use. CALS cardholders can borrow materials from other MOBIUS libraries if those materials are not available in the CALS catalog.

How do I check out titles using Mobius?


• Search carks.na.iiivega.com for the title. If the CALS catalog does not contain the title you want, click the “Search MOBIUS” button. The catalog will automatically re-send your search to the MOBIUS catalog. The next screen you see will be a search results screen from MOBIUS.
• If you locate the title you want in the MOBIUS catalog, click on the title to go to the full record. If MOBIUS does not have the title you want, click on the Prospector link to continue your search.
• To place a hold on the title, click the “REQUEST THIS ITEM” link located beneath the author, title and publisher information.
• In the “With which institution are you affiliated?” box, choose “MOBIUS – Central Arkansas Library System”.
• On the next screen, enter your first or last name, your complete library card number, and the branch where you want to pick up the title.
• If more than one copy of the title is available, you may be asked to choose which copy you want to request. Click to select the radio button to the left of the title, and then click the “Request Selected Item” button.
• You will receive a confirmation that your request was successful.
• You can view titles you have placed on hold by going to My Account at carks.na.iiivega.com.

Using Tipasa

Items requested through interlibrary loan usually arrive at CALS in 2 to 4 weeks depending upon the type of material requested. Some specialized materials may take even longer. Please take into consideration these time constraints when placing your requests.

Making a Request

The Central Arkansas Library System is part of an interlibrary loan system known as Tipasa. The first time you use it, you will need to click the “Set/reset password” link below the “Sign In” button. On the next page you will enter your barcode number, found on the back of your library card. A link to set your password will be sent to the email address recorded in your circulation account. If you do not have an email address in your account, or no longer have access to it, you can call the Interlibrary Loan department and we will help you create a password to log in.

Click on this link to register or make a request.

[NOTE: If you receive an error message saying your account has expired, please contact the ILL Department via email at lrazer@cals.org or by phone at 501-918-3014 and we will quickly resolve the issue.]

For assistance or further information, please call the Interlibrary Loan Department of the Central Arkansas Library System at 501-918-3014.

Interlibrary Loan Requirements / Limits

  • You must have a valid CALS library card with current personal information and no excessive fines.
  • You may submit and have up to 13 active requests at a time. Be sure to consider that all materials could come in at once.
  • We will not borrow a book that is either owned by or on order for any CALS library. This includes Reference and Special Collection Materials. Items that have been marked “BILLED” in our catalog system or that are excessively overdue may be requested.
  • We will not order any item published within the previous four months.
  • “In Library Use Only” materials, such as microfilm or anything declared to be REFERENCE or SPECIAL COLLECTION by the lending library, must be used at the Main Library.
  • You are allowed at least 2 weeks use for any ILL item. Your due date is determined by the lending library, not by CALS. One renewal may be possible, depending on the lending library’s policies.  If you’d like to request a renewal, contact the Interlibrary Loan office at least 2 business days before the due date.
  • Late fees for Interlibrary Loan items are $1.00 per day with a limit of $20.00. If an ILL item is lost or needs to be replaced, the lending library will determine the replacement cost for the lost material. This cost will be passed on to your account.

Important Copyright Information

Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research”. If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use”, that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.