Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a free borrowing service for SHU students, faculty, and staff. If we do not have access to the articles, books, or book chapters that you need for your research, we will attempt to get them for you from another library. For more information, use the buttons below.
Note: Check your email Junk Folder for emails from our ILL system and mark them as "Not Junk".
Please feel free to contact us with questions regarding your ILL requests during our normal hours of Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm.
Any current student, faculty, or staff with an active SHU account can request items through Interlibrary Loan.
Any materials may be requested though ILL with the exception of the following:
ILL requests can take up to three business days to process and physical materials requested may take up to two weeks or more to be available. Requests are not processed on the weekends and holidays.
Loan periods are determined by the lending library but generally are 4-5 weeks. Exact due dates are always included on the identification slips wrapped around the books. Our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) staff does not set nor can they change lending conditions. Patrons are expected to keep track of the due dates and return materials on time. Please note that the lending library can recall a loan at any time. This means a patron at the lending library needs the item and it must be returned as soon as possible. If the borrower disregards the due dates, their ILL account will be blocked and fines will be charged. Student fines are reported to the Bursar.
Return ILL loans to the Circulation Desk with all paperwork.
Please contact ILL staff directly to renew any ILL loans.
Most lending libraries will allow one renewal if the loan is not already overdue, however, this is not a guarantee. Most libraries will also state if no renewals are allowed on the identification slip.
Interlibrary loan is provided free of charge to anyone with an active SHU account (current faculty, staff, and students). Fines or fees will be charged for any materials that are late, lost, or damaged. Failure to pay the fine or return of loan will result in fees being reported to the Bursar's Office and your ILL account will be blocked. Fees charged for the replacement of loans are at the discretion of the lending library and vary depending on the cost of the material.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or other reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
In this short video you will learn how to request materials from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan, also known as ILL.
Although Sacred Heart University Library provides access to many print and electronic materials to the Sacred Heart community, you may come across a book or journal article that we do not have in our collection. Fortunately, the ILL system allows you to request materials from libraries around the world.
To start a request, click on the “Interlibrary Loan (ILL)” link in the “Research Support” dropdown menu on the homepage.
On the ILL page, click on the “ILL Account Login” link to access your ILL account.
Sign in using your SHU username and password.
Click on the “Create Request” button to submit an ILL request.
On the request form, you can request an Article, Book or Book Chapter. Fields marked with an asterisk are required.
Once you have filled out all the necessary fields in the form, click the “Submit Request” button at the bottom of the form.
Your request will then go to our ILL staff, who will attempt to locate a library that can provide you with an electronic or physical copy of the item you have requested.
If you are searching the library’s databases and the full-text article is not available, there will be a “Request this Item” link.
Once you click this link and log into your ILL account, the fields will automatically be filled in with the citation information of the article.
In order to stay informed about your ILL requests, check your communication preferences in your ILL account by clicking “View Profile”. Make sure your email address is correct and check the box to receive updates by email. Doublecheck your Junk Email Folder for email notifications from notices@e.worldcat.org.
Please note: if our library already has access to the material requested, the ILL request will be canceled, so be sure to check our resources first. Additionally, be advised that ILL requests can take from three business days to two weeks to be processed and filled, so plan your research accordingly.
For further assistance with ILL or with any other questions, feel free to contact us at the library!
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