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ILL Excessive Cost Policy

Excessive cost is determined by copyright fees, not by the number of requests submitted. All libraries must adhere to the "Five-Five Rule," which states that when a library requests more than five articles from a single journal title published in the last five years, the library must pay copyright fees. These fees can sometimes be very expensive, depending on the subject matter of the journal.

The following guidelines are therefore effective for all members of the Calvin community:

  • Semester total for a borrower cannot exceed $500.
  • If a semester total exceeds $500, the borrower will be notified that his or her request cannot be processed.
  • If a list of requests in one group exceed the semester total, the borrower will be asked to prioritize the requests.