Interlibrary Loan
If your library doesn't have a book, journal article, or other type of resource get it from another library.
Overview
Need a book, article, or other resource your school library doesn’t have? Ask your librarian about interlibrary loan (ILL). This service lets you borrow materials from other libraries if your home library doesn’t have what you need.
- When you request a book through interlibrary loan, the physical copy is typically mailed to your library for pickup.
- If you need one or two chapters of a book or an article from a journal, those are typically scanned and emailed directly to your school email address. Libraries rely on fair use for scanning book chapters or articles for student use.
- Each college or university adheres to copyright and fair use policies, so check with your library if you have questions.
WorldCat
One way to check if materials are available at another institution is to use WorldCat, the world’s most comprehensive library catalog, listing the world’s library collections. It is available through two different platforms:
- The publicly available version (WorldCat)
- The subscription versions (OCLC WorldCat Discovery and FirstSearch).
