Interlibrary Loan Frequently-Asked Questions

Quick tips for using Interlibrary Loan

  • Please check the University of Chicago Library catalog before submitting an ILL request. If you need assistance locating materials, consult the staff of the RBIC(JRL100B).
  • ILL materials may be renewed on or before the due date by accessing your ILL account online. One renewal period of two weeks is generally possible.
  • Materials from the Center for Research Libraries may be renewed indefintely. Once recalled by a member library renewals are no longer possible.
  • We are unable to process requests for course textbooks or materials on class Reserve.
  • Current imprints and materials needed for extensive use should be suggested for addition to the Library. The purchase request form can be found at: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/using/purchaserequest.html

What is a username, and how do I get one?

Most Faculty, Students, and Staff at the University of Chicago are given a CNet ID which uniquely identifies, and/or authenticates, that user electronically throughout the University's computer systems. The CNet ID with its accompanying password is the same username and password combination you use for Chalk, cMail, or the university web proxy. (Click here if you don't know your CNet ID.) If you have a CNet ID, you will use this ID as your username in the Interlibrary Loan system. Users with CNet ID's can login to the ILL system on the left side of the page at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/ill.

Many users eligible to use Interlibrary Loan, such as alumni, proxy borrowers, and non-academic hospital staff members** do not have CNet ID's. (Click here if you aren't sure if you have a CNet ID.) These users will be required to choose their own usernames in the Interlibrary Loan System. If you are an eligible ILL user, but do not have a CNet ID, you can create your username and account at https://requests.lib.uchicago.edu/ill/firsttime.html. Please note that the username and password you choose will only be used for Interlibrary Loan.

**Some hospital faculty and staff members do have CNet ID's and should use those as their usernames.

What if I forget my password?

If you are a University of Chicago student, faculty, or staff member, you can change your CNet password at: http://CNet.uchicago.edu/, even if you have forgotten it. If you have problems obtaining your CNet password, please contact support@uchicago.edu. Since Interlibrary Loan staff do not have access to your CNetID password, they cannot help you obtain or change passwords.

If you are a member of the Hospital Staff, an alumna/alumnus, a proxy borrower, etc., please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office at interlibrary-loan@lib.uchicago.edu. We can then reset your password, allowing you access to the Interlibrary Loan Request System. Please change your password once you are able to logon to the Interlibrary Loan Request System.

What Web browser should I use?

You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferrably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We recommend using Internet Explorer 6.0 , Netscape 6.2 or comparable Internet browsers for Windows users. Macintosh computers are not readily available for staff testing, but we have found that Mozilla 1.5b and Internet Explorer 5.2 for the Macintosh work well with the Interlibrary Loan Request System.

Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?

Yes. Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation. This allows a subsequent user of the workstation to access the system under your name using the browser's Back button to recall a page from the cache, or by finding a page with your personal information in the browser's history file. If you are concerned about the security of your interlibrary loan requests, you can take the following steps:

  1. Access the Interlibrary Loan Request System only from your personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation.
  2. Access the Interlibrary Loan Request System from the public workstation in the Interlibrary Loan office during normal business hours. This computer is monitored by the Interlibrary Loan staff.
  3. When using a public access workstation: Exit from the Web browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from accessing the pages you were using. You can also select the "Logoff (your username)" link at the top of your main menu, which will end your web session and clear out the cookie used to identify you in the web browser.

How do I renew my books?

You can renew your own books online at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/h/ill. Interlibrary Loan items can be renewed only one (1) time, for two weeks. Items from CRL (The Center for Research Libraries) CAN be renewed indefinitely, but only one (1) time through the online system. Further renewals of CRL items require that you contact our department at interlibrary-loan@lib.uchicago.edu. Lending libraries have the right to deny a renewal and to request a recall at any time.

Renewals are available 10 days before an item is due and can still be requested up to 5 days after the due date. You will receive an error message if you try to renew the request before or after these dates.

Follow these directions to renew a checked-out item:

  1. Log into your account at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/h/ill.
  2. Under the View menu, choose Checked Out Items (Renew).
  3. Choose the Transaction Number to the left of the title that you wish to renew. This will bring up the Transaction Information screen for that item.
  4. Click Renew Request.

Once you click Renew Request, you will receive the following message: "Item renewed with a due date of mm/dd/yyyy.
There can be no further renewals." This actually sends a renewal request to the lending library. The process will sometimes temporarily remove the item from your list of Checked-Out Items. If this happens, check your account at a later time. If the item has not returned to your list of Checked Out Items after a full business day, call our office.

Please call (773) 702-8706 if you are having trouble renewing or can't see the item that you want to renew on the screen.

Who can use Interlibrary Loan?

Service is available to any member of the University community who needs material for an academic research project or course-related assignment. Those eligible for the service include:

· Faculty
· Currently-enrolled students
· Staff
· Faculty spouses and domestic partners
· Alumni with current borrowing privileges (Maximum of 10 concurrent ILL requests)
· Proxy borrowers for University Faculty members (See instructions below for setting up an ILL proxy account, or write us at interlibrary-loan@lib.uchicago.edu for assistance.)

Note: Guest borrowers (i.e., those who have purchased borrowing privileges at the library) do not have interlibrary loan privileges. Please request items through your corporate or public library.

If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the Library Privileges office at ipo@uchicago.edu or (773) 702-3344.

What kind of material can I order through Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary Loan supports the teaching, research project goals and course-related assignments of the University. Due to heavy request traffic during much of the academic year, the Interlibrary Loan department is unable to accept requests for leisure reading, videos, DVD's, or CD's. Public libraries, and their ILL departments, are an excellent resource for that type of request..

Items that can be requested:

· Books (If multi-volume, lenders may limit the number of volumes to four.)
· Photocopied articles and book chapters
· Dissertations (as long as they are not freely available as PDFs at ProQuest Digital Dissertations or Theses Canada Portal)
· Theses
· Microforms
· Videos, CD's, and DVD's
· Conference Proceedings

Items which are difficult to borrow:

· Imprints prior to 1800
· Loan requests for current publications
· Entire periodical volumes
· Reference materials
· Textbooks
· Rare books and original manuscripts
· Genealogy or heraldry
· DVDs

Is there a limit on the number of requests I can make?

For Faculty, Students, and Staff, there is no limit on the number of requests you can submit. However, if you have a large number of requests to submit, you may find it useful to phase in the requests over a period of time rather than submit them all at once. Since material is lent to us by other libraries for only a short period of time (the usual loan period is four weeks or fewer), staggering the delivery over a longer time frame may give you more time to work with individual items.

For Alumni, the limit is 10 concurrent requests.

What is the delivery time frame for articles and loans?

In most cases, loans usually take at least 10 business days to arrive. Some requests can take much longer--especially if suppliers are denying the request and sending it back to us--while locally held material can be here in 2 or 3 days. Photocopies of articles, especially medical articles, can arrive much more quickly. Because of electronic delivery methods, such as Ariel and Odyssey, articles will sometimes arrive within 0-3 days. Delivery time depends on many factors, but the main variables are where the material is located and how quickly the supplier responds to requests. The Interlibrary Loan staff assumes that you need the material as soon as possible and makes every effort to get the material to you in the shortest time possible.

What are the fines and fees for Overdue or Lost books?

Please be aware that by checking out an Interlibrary Loan item you are taking responsibility for all the fines and fees that may accompany a late return or lost item. Overdue Interlibrary Loan items accrue fines at the rate of $3.00 per day, with a maximum of $75.00 if the item is returned. The fee for a Lost Interlibrary Loan item is $125.00.

If you ever anticipate being unable to meet a due date, please contact us at (773) 834-0197 in advance of the due date. We can attempt to make an arrangement for a temporary extension and avoid fines. Contacting us after the due date, and after you have already accrued fines, makes this extension considerably more difficult to obtain and often impossible. You are always able to check your due dates at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/h/ill. Therefore, not knowing (or forgetting) the due date of an item is not an acceptable excuse. Interlibrary Loan items are considered higher-priority items, as they are not owned by our Library, and their timely return is vital to the success of the ILL operation. The fines and fees system is in place to encourage good borrowing practices as the late return and/or loss of items can seriously impact our ability to borrow items in the future. Please be aware of the due dates of your items at all times, and of the penalties for late and lost items.

What if I want a photocopy/loan of something owned by the University of Chicago's Library?

Interlibrary Loan is to be used for items not owned by the University of Chicago Library. Copy charges and loan fees encountered by the library when processing a user's requests are generally not passed back to the user. If you need a photocopy of something that the University of Chicago already owns, there is a document delivery service, Gargoyle Express, which can fill your orders for a small fee. Please do not place this type of order with Interlibrary Loan, as you will simply be reminded to use Gargoyle Express.

The only exceptions to this policy will on be made for the following:

· Photocopies of articles in journals/books whose status is "Missing" in the Library Catalog.**
· Loans of books for which you have placed a recall that is not being honored.
· Loans of reprints or editions that vary from those held by the Library.

**If the item is listed as "Not Checked Out" in the catalog, you will have to place a search request and get a response from Circulation before placing an ILL order. To place a search request, locate the item you want in the library catalog. If the item record is a serial record, click "Show Circulation Status" to see records for individual volumes. Click "Not on shelf?" next to the individual volume you want to have searched. This will bring up the search form for you to complete. If the individual volume is not listed, but it is included after "Library Has" in the item record, then that particular volume is owned but has never been checked out.

Can I have someone else pick up my items at the Circulation Desk?

No. Only the user who placed the request can pick up the item at the Circulation Desk. The only exceptions are official proxy borrowers for Faculty members. If you are not a Faculty member, you cannot have a proxy borrower. If you are unable to pick up your material in person, please contact our office at interlibrary-loan@lib.uchicago.edu. We may be able to hold the item in our office and arrange for another person to pick up the item for you. Because of client confidentiality and our Circulation protocol, this cannot be done at the Circulation Desk.

Can I transfer my ILL item to another person's account?

No. An interlibrary loan item that you borrow must remain on your account and cannot be transferred to another user's account. Interlibrary Loan guidelines require that the personal responsibility for a loaned item not be transferred. The only way for the other user to borrow the item would be for that user to place a separate electronic request for the item.

I'm working for a professor. How can I order through Interlibrary Loan? (Setting up a Proxy Account)

First, you have to be an offical proxy borrower for the professor. Official proxy borrowers are created by the Privileges Office in the Regenstein Library. If you sign-up as a proxy borrower for a professor in our ILL system, we will check that professor's circulation account to be sure you are an official borrower. Please be sure that you are before continuing.

To use ILL as a proxy, you will need to set up an account from the "Other Eligible University of Chicago Users" side of the page at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/h/ill. Click the "Login" button beneath "Other Eligible University of Chicago Users," and then click the link for "First Time User Registration." You will need to create a unique username and password for use when ordering for that professor. The actual name on the account should be that of the professor, but the contact information can be your own, if necessary. The Library ID number is the number on your proxy borrowing ID. Select "Proxy" as your Affiliation on the registration form.

IMPORTANT: NEVER order material for anyone else, including a professor, on your own, personal account. You will be held responsible for all charges on your account. Creating a proxy account for these purposes places this responsibility on the professor who is using the material.

What is the best way for me to obtain a dissertation or thesis?

University of Chicago students, faculty and staff have long needed access to selected dissertations written at other institutions. To provide this access,

  • Interlibrary Loan attempts to borrow needed theses and dissertations. Use the "Request a Thesis" button on the Interlibrary Loan Main Menu Page (which appears after logging in to the online request system) to ask for these materials.
  • The Library provides access to most dissertations produced after 1996 digitally through Proquest Digital Dissertations. If a title is available as a Proquest .PDF file, we will be unable to borrow it on Interlibrary Loan.
  • Interlibrary Loan offers the service, Dissertation Express, for users wishing the office to purchase dissertations on their behalf.

The Library's Interlibrary Loan Department has agreements with the Big Ten schools and the Research Libraries Group's SHARES members (Cornell, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, etc.) to borrow dissertations written at these institutions. Other U.S. and Canadian dissertations may sometimes be available for loan. Many foreign dissertations are owned by the Center for Research Libraries. The Center will accept orders for foreign dissertations not already held by them, but obtaining the dissertation may take up to 9 to 12 months.

Researchers typically find titles of interest in Proquest Digital Dissertations, a product of UMI. The citations for titles published from 1980 forward also include 350-word abstracts, written by the author. Citations for master's theses from 1988 forward include 150-word abstracts. Of the 1.5 million titles listed, UMI offers over a million in full-text and for these titles, the citations include UMI's order number.

Proquest Digital Dissertations also provides access to new dissertation titles in digital format, mainly titles from 1997 forward. These files can be downloaded at no charge. The files require the Adobe Reader to view and print. To order the PDF files, you must first select a title and place it in the "Shopping Cart." After you submit your order, you will be assigned a PIN number. It may take up to 5 minutes to prepare your file(s) for download. Once it is ready, an email message will be sent to you. The message will contain instructions on how to access (and download) your PDF file(s) via the web. These instructions will also be provided on the Online Receipt page that is displayed after you submit your order. The "Shopping Cart" can also be used to order dissertations in other formats (microform, paperbound, or hardbound) for shipment to your address. The cost varies from $29.50 to $43.50.

If you wish the Library to purchase a dissertation on your behalf, Interlibrary Loan provides access to Dissertation Express, a program which allows University of Chicago students, faculty, and staff to purchase high quality shrink-wrapped photocopies of dissertations from UMI. The cost is $28.00, and items are shipped to us from UMI within 5-7 working days. Order forms are available from the Customer Service Assistant at Regenstein Circulation or service desks in any of the departmental libraries. Prior to the Library's ordering the dissertation, payment must be received at the Customer Service Station at Regenstein Circulation, unless paying by credit card. For further information, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office at 773-702-8706 or via email at Interlibrary-Loan@lib.uchicago.edu.

You can also purchase a U.S. or Canadian dissertation directly from UMI using the Dissertation Hotline (1-800-521-3042). Dissertations are available in any of the following formats: microform, paperbound, or hardbound. The cost varies by format from $32.50 to $43.50 prepaid. Delivery is to your address in approximately 30 working days.

How can I get a receipt when I return my ILL item?

Currently our system has no way to automatically print receipts. If you would like a receipt when you return your ILL item, please bring it to the ILL office (between 9 am and 5 pm) or to a Circulation supervisor. The ILL staff member or Circulation supervisor will check the book in, and you will receive either a copy of the record from our system, or a photocopy of the ILL book band, signed by the staff member to whom you give the book.

Other questions?

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