Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
ILL allows you to obtain items not owned by Criss Library, including books, articles, and microfilm. Ebooks are not available to borrow via ILL. Some materials are more difficult to obtain due to lending restrictions determined by the lending library.
Most libraries will not lend entire journal or magazine issues, archival materials, or newspapers in print format. Popular fiction and recently published books are also difficult to obtain. Because textbooks are in high demand and hard to obtain, we will no longer be able to fill ILL requests for them. There are a number of online sites where you can borrow textbooks for an entire semester for a small fee.
ILL books take on average about 10 days to arrive. Articles usually arrive in less than a week, but typically take two to three days. Turnaround time depends on the material requested.- Rare items may take six to 12 weeks to obtain.
- Most Document Delivery requests will be filled within 1 to 2 business days.
- Books and other physical materials are available for checkout at the Circulation Desk. Article requests will be delivered to you electronically.
- Both ILL and Document Delivery articles will remain uploaded to your account for 30 days.
Due Dates
Due dates for your material can be found on the sticker on the front of your book, or by logging into your ILLiad account and clicking “Checked Out Items.” Please keep in mind due dates can vary, depending on where we borrowed material from. Failure to return your Interlibrary Loans will result in the blocking of your ILLiad account, loss of library privileges, overdue charges, and/or replacement costs.Once materials are overdue, a lending library may send us an invoice for replacement at any time.
Renewals
Loan periods for items can differ widely. To renew an ILL item:
- Log into your account, and click on Checked Out Items
- Click on the transaction number of the item you wish to renew, and click Renew Request
The new due date you receive is tentative, pending approval of the lending library. Once we hear from the lending library, we will let you know the new due date via email. Overdue items cannot be renewed.
Cost
We make every effort to obtain ILL materials at no cost, but sometimes other libraries charge for items. You can indicate on the request form how much you are willing to pay for the material.Fees range from $5 to $100; most fall between $20 to $35. If the material is only available from a library that charges a fee, we will notify you by email, giving you the opportunity to cancel your request without being charged.
Document Delivery
The ILL department will scan chapters, journal articles, and other materials owned by the Criss Library and upload them to your ILLiad account. You can then download these materials as PDFs to your computer. You can make Document Delivery requests the same way you make ILL requests.