Inter-Library Loan or Interlending exists primarily to meet the needs of private study and non-commercial research. A secondary function is to enable libraries to replace lost or damaged items, or to protect items from undue wear and tear, when it is not practicable to purchase replacements. All other forms of document supply must be licensed or otherwise formally sanctioned by copyright owners.

Private study and research - libraries must be satisfied that copies requested through ILL are for private study and non-commercial research and will not be used for any other purpose, this they do by means of a signed declaration by the applicant. They must also ensure that

• no person is furnished with more than one copy of the same material
• no person is furnished with more than a "reasonable proportion" of a work (other than in the case of periodical articles)
• no person is furnished with more than one copy of the same periodical article
• no person is furnished with more than one article from the same issue of a periodical
• those to whom copies are supplied pay for them a sum not less than the cost of production

The above applies to printed works. Increasingly, the Library subscribes to electronic editions, particularly of periodicals. Supplying copies of articles from these is subject to individual contracts or licensing agreements.

Copying from theses supplied to UEA through Inter-Library Loan - Single copies of extracts not exceeding 10% of the entire work in total can be made by readers solely for their own private study or non-commercial research. This includes microfilm copies loaned by The British Library.

Courseware - If material intended to be copied and made available as a teaching resource is requested through a document supply service, such as ILL, the original request should clearly state the fact. On no account should material supplied on the basis of a private study/research declaration be copied and either distributed to students or placed in the High Demand (Short Loan) Collection or a photocopy bank. Copies supplied may be subject to a surcharge. Copies supplied by document supply services and placed in High Demand (Short Loan) use should have a copy of the service's cover sheet attached.