Eligible users are granted different types of quotas for requesting articles and book chapters from local and overseas libraries per academic year. The hold/loan quota of the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery service is shared with that of HKALL and will be counted in your total loan quota. Hold/loan quota will be counted when a request is made and will be released when either: (1) physical books are returned and checked in by the lending library; (2) the print copies are collected; or (3) the copies are delivered in electronic format.
Annual Free Quota
Your free quota is used for obtaining the materials free of charge from local and overseas libraries with reciprocal agreements. Books borrowed from other UGC libraries via HKALL are free and not counted towards your free annual quota.
Annual Subsidized Quota
Your subsidized quota is for obtaining articles from overseas libraries with no reciprocal agreement. Users will be charged at a flat rate of HKD$60 per article. The remaining cost will be subsidized by the Library. This only covers regular article requests but not expensive items such as dissertations and theses. Users will be informed about the full cost charged by the lending libraries.
Annual Quotas (from August to July next year) *
| Type of Users | Free Quota (Local & Overseas with Agreements) Free of Charge |
Subsidized Quota (Overseas) HKD$60 Per Article |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty and Teaching Staff | 150 | 20 |
| Research Staff | 150 | 10 |
| Postgraduate Students | 100 | 10 |
| Administrative Staff (Terms A) | 100 | 10 |
| Final Year Undergraduate Students (Limit to photocopying requests available in UGC libraries). |
20 | Not applicable |
* If the above quotas are used up, users will be informed and the costs for additional requests are:
Free Quota: HKD$10 per request
Subsidized Quota: At cost charged by lending libraries.
Costs for overseas interlibrary loan services with no agreement
The cost is fully determined by the charge scheme of an individual overseas library. The photocopying charge of some of the overseas libraries depends on the total number of pages copied, plus the copyright fee (if appropriate). Book loan charge also includes postage. Users will be informed by email of the cost estimated and be asked to confirm acceptance before the request is further processed.
Cost (for reference only):
Photocopying: HKD$100-$300
Loan: HKD$300-$500 (including postage)
Thesis: HKD$500 (minimum)