Interlibrary Loan Borrowing
Be sure to read this page as well as the following pages before using this service.
- Interlibrary Loan
- ILLiad FAQ
- Additional Library Policies & Procedures exist that might be applicable
Borrower's Responsibilities
Materials obtained through Interlibrary Loan are for the exclusive use of the individual submitting the request. Borrowers are responsible for returnable materials from the time the materials are picked up until they are returned to the Interlibrary Loan Department or the Service Desk. Borrowers are responsible for any infringement of the Copyright Law regarding materials on loan from other libraries. Borrowers are responsible for charges related to borrowing, copyright, rush orders, late returns, improper returns, loss, damage, or mutilation of materials while the borrower is responsible for the material, and non-refundable invoice charges for overdue and lost books from other institutions.
Costs
Loans
There is usually no charge for borrowing returnable materials. If the lending institution charges for returnable materials, the Interlibrary Loan staff obtains the user's agreement to pay those charges before submitting the request.
Articles
There is no charge for articles. If the lending institution requires any payment, the ILL staff obtains the user's agreement to pay those charges before submitting the request.
Departmental Charges
Users approved by Department Heads for this method of payment should type “Departmental Charge” and their departmental account number in the Notes field of the request form.
Before Submitting a Request
Check the Dupré Library Catalog
Before ordering, make certain Dupré Library does not own the material you are requesting by searching the Dupré Library Catalog. Interlibrary Loan does not order materials owned by the University Libraries. If the item is not on the shelf or in use by another user, contact the Service Desk regarding recalls, traces, and/or holds. If the Service Desk determines that the item will not be available in time to meet your needs, inform the Interlibrary Loan staff.
Consult the Service Desk
A librarian at the Service Desk can assist you in determining if the material, or similar material, can be found locally or in electronic format.
Holidays
Requests are handled on days when Dupré Library is open. For holidays, view Library Hours.
To avoid having materials held in transit, the Interlibrary Loan Department stops requesting returnable materials, print, and microform in early December. Interlibrary Loan starts handling requests for those formats when the University reopens in January.
Materials that Usually Can Be Borrowed
- Materials not owned by the University Libraries
- Books/monographs, government documents, proceedings, technical reports microforms
- Theses and dissertations when circulating copies are available
- Photocopies of journal articles, book chapters, and similar publications within copyright
Materials that Cannot Be Borrowed
- Materials owned by the University Libraries
- Reference, genealogy, reserve, archival, and special collections materials
- New books or current year publications
- Periodical issues or volumes, some proceedings, and technical reports
- Textbooks, materials for class, reserve or group use
- Maps, fragile, rare or valuable materials, pre-1900 materials
- Software and computer programs, audiovisual materials, film and microforms
Submitting a Request
The Interlibrary Loan Department does not limit the number of requests an individual may submit per day. Depending on the total volume of requests, the Interlibrary Loan staff may be able to handle a limited number of requests from one user per day.
ILLiad Account
ILLiad is an interlibrary loan request and document delivery system used by Interlibrary Loan. Use your ILLiad Account to:
- Request articles, books, and other materials not available through Dupré Library's print or electronic collections. View Types of Requests.
- View the progress and history of your requests
- Access documents received electronically
- Search your requests
- Update your account profile and preferences
Starting a Request
- Log in to your ILLiad Account and submit a request, or use WorldCat via FirstSearch or Library Search to search for materials and use the 'Request through InterlibraryLoan/ILLiad' links populate a request.
- First time users need to register for an ILLiad Account. Your ULID and password will not work.
- Forgot your password? Complete the Reset Password form and a link with instructions will be emailed to you.
Completing a Request
- Submit one request per item desired.
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Submit accurate, complete citation information.
- Citations should contain all available bibliographic information, including the complete title.
- Ask a librarian at the Service Desk to assist with title abbreviations.
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Provide the citation source (where you found the citation) to assist in the verification process.
- If found in printed material, note the title, volume, year, page number, and any other pertinent information about the source.
- For citations from online databases, note the database name as well as keywords used in your search.
- Provide the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), International Standard Book Number (ISBN), or another identification number, if available.
- Always address “Will you accept the item in a language other than English?” and “Not Wanted After Date” on the ILLiad request form.
- Use your University email address as your ILLiad Account contact.
- When materials arrive, the Interlibrary Loan staff notify users by email or phone if necessary.
Delivery Time & Notifications
We cannot predict the delivery time for any particular request. Your order can take anywhere from a few hours to one to four weeks to arrive.
You will be notified by email or phone when your order arrives. You must pick up books in the Interlibrary Loan Department. Articles are primarily delivered electronically via a link in your ILLiad Account under Electronically Received Articles. If for some reason, we cannot deliver your article electronically, the method of delivery will default to hold for pick up at the Service Desk.
Reasons for Delays/Cancellations
- The citation is incomplete or contains incorrect information.
- The request has to go to many libraries before one supplies the item.
- No library is willing to supply the material.
- The material is new or not yet published.
- The material is in high demand.
- The item is a textbook, especially if currently used by the University.
- The material is rare, such as an archival collection, historical document, or dissertation with no circulating copy.
- The material is published and primarily held in foreign countries.
- The material is available at the University Libraries. In this case, the Interlibrary Loan staff cancels the request and notifies the user. If the material is not on the shelf, the borrower may ask the Service Desk to initiate the trace/hold or recall/hold process.
Length of the Borrowing Process
Readily available books usually arrive in the Interlibrary Loan Department within two weeks. Readily available articles usually are delivered electronically shortly after receipt when the department is open.
It is sometimes a challenge to find an institution able and/or willing to lend a specific item. Unfilled requests remain active until the "Not Needed After Date" or until all lending institutions have been exhausted.
Progress of Requests
Check the progress of requests by logging into your ILLiad Account and reviewing your 'Active Requests' or choosing 'Requests History'. For more information on tracking requests, refer to the Explanation of ILLiad Request Status (PDF).
For orders involving a fee: If you feel the material will arrive too late for your use, contact us as soon as possible. If your order has not been shipped by the lending institution, we may be able to cancel your request and avoid unwanted charges for you.
Unavailable Materials
When materials are not available through Interlibrary Loan, the Interlibrary Loan staff may suggest visiting a library in Louisiana, or they may suggest an alternate item. A librarian at the Service Desk can assist in finding other materials to complete research projects.
Special Conditions or Terms
All loans are subject to terms and conditions set by the lending institution. "Library Use Only" materials must be used in a specified area, usually the Reference Area or the Jefferson Caffery Reading Room. "Library Use Only – Archives or Special Collections" materials must be used in the Jefferson Caffery Reading Room. While using any "Library Use Only" materials, the user's current validated University of Louisiana at Lafayette ID must be left with the monitoring department. Notify the Interlibrary Loan Department or the monitoring department when you no longer need the materials, so they can be returned.
Type of Requests
Article Requests
ILLiad Account > New Requests > Request an Article > Article Request
Essential Information: title (journal, conference proceedings, anthology, etc.), article title, year, and inclusive pages.
The Interlibrary Loan Department maintains reciprocal agreements with many libraries. Articles available from reciprocal providers require no payment. If an article is available only from a non-reciprocal institution, the Interlibrary Loan staff emails the user for invoice approval. When the user replies to approve the additional charge, the Interlibrary Loan staff submits the request to the providing institution.
Article Delivery
Articles are primarily delivered electronically via a link in your ILLiad Account under Electronically Received Articles on the 'Active Requests' landing page. If for some reason we cannot deliver your article electronically, the method of delivery will default to hold for pick up at the Service Desk.
Commercial Providers
Commercial providers must deliver materials for:
- Requests for rushed/next-day delivery that cannot be met by normal providers within the allotted time. Most commercial document delivery providers offer 24-hour delivery.
- Request(s) that exceed copyright limits
- Requests that exceed the library's annual copyright limit for a journal title
- Requests that the Head of Interlibrary Loan, Assistant Dean, Associate Dean or Dean decides should be requested through a document delivery service
Interlibrary Loan staff notifies users via email. Users are responsible for all costs.
For a list of commercial document delivery services, go to Commercial Document Delivery Providers.
Book Requests
ILLiad Account > New Requests > Request a Book or Other Material > Book or Other Material Request
Essential Information: complete title, author/editors, edition, publisher, place of publication, date of publication, and ISBN (International Standard Book Number), if available. Providing the ISBN expedites a request. Publisher, place of publication, date of publication, and edition are important, as some books have several editions and publishers.
If you are willing to accept any edition, note that on the request form.
Conference Paper/Proceedings & Technical Report Requests
ILLiad Account > New Requests > Request a Book or Other Material > Book or Other Material Request
Essential information: Title of the paper or report, author, organization, date, and place. Enter additional information in the Notes field of the request form.
Conference proceedings and technical reports may not circulate dependent upon the holding institution’s policy. Organization, date, place, or any information available should be noted and will assist us in filling your request.
Dissertation & Thesis Purchase
ILLiad Account > New Requests > Request a Book or Other Material > Book or Other Material Request
Dissertation and thesis loans are handled as books. See: Book Requests
Search the database Dissertations & Theses A&I (ProQuest). ProQuest offers the full text of some documents and sells dissertations and theses directly to users in six formats, including PDF for immediate download.
Using UMI's Dissertation Express, Interlibrary Loan can order print copies of many dissertations for users to keep. An unbound, shrink-wrapped copy is delivered within 3-4 working days. Payment must be made before the request is submitted.
Individuals may use a major credit card to purchase a dissertation directly from UMI. Call (800) 521-3042, visit ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, or obtain an application from the Interlibrary Loan Department.
Newspaper/Microform Requests
For specific articles, use ILLiad Account > New Requests > Request an Article > Article Request.
For newspaper content that covers more than one article, use ILLiad Account > New Requests > Request a Book or Other Material > Book or Other Material Request. This may be loaned in microform format.
Essential information: Title, city, and state of publication, date(s). Several cities publish newspapers with the same title. Enter additional information in the Notes field of the request form.
Some institutions do not loan microfilm, microfiche, microcard, and other microforms. When provided, all microforms are "Library Use Only" and must be turned in daily.
Patent Requests
ILLiad Account > New Requests > Request a Book or Other Material > Book or Other Material Request
Patent requests must include the patent number and should include language and country. Enter additional information in the Notes field of the request form.
The cost per patent averages $15.00 to $20.00 but may run higher. Users are responsible for all costs. Include the maximum you are willing to pay in the Notes field of the request form. If the cost is more than the stated maximum, the Interlibrary Loan staff will email users for approval before submitting the request.
Standards Requests
ILLiad Account > New Requests > Request a Book or Other Material > Book or Other Material Request
Essential Information: Title, agency, year of publication, and the standard number. Enter additional information in the Notes field of the request form.
Returning Loans
The user is responsible for returnable materials from the time it is picked up in the Interlibrary Loan Department until it is properly returned. Any fee or fine resulting from an improperly returned item is the responsibility of the user.
Return Locations
All materials must be returned directly to the Interlibrary Loan Department or the Service Desk. Returns are not accepted at the Service Desk, in the drop slot or return box, or in the mail.
Due Date
Interlibrary Loan materials should be returned on or before the due date indicated on the paper book strap that is attached to the front of the material. This fine is in addition to any fines or fees assessed by the lending institution and will not be waived.
Overdue Materials
When the material is due and has not been picked up from the Interlibrary Loan Department, it is returned to the lending institution.
If the material has been picked up, you will receive an overdue notice. ILLiad automatically generates overdue notices and blocks the user's account once the system deems the account extremely overdue.
If the material is not returned, you will be responsible for any charges imposed upon us by the lending institution.
Renewals
Every effort should be made to use materials in the time allowed by the lending institution. Lending institutions sometimes grant a renewal. Apply for renewals within 5 days of the due date using your ILLiad Account. ILLiad does not allow renewals outside of this 5-day period, renewals of overdue materials, or second renewals.You may request a renewal on any Interlibrary Loan material, as long as "No Renewals" was not one of the restrictions that the lending library placed on the item.
How to Submit Your Renewal Request
You can place a renewal request through your ILLiad Account. You may also log in to your ILLiad Account to check the progress of your request at any time. The response may be:
- Renewal is granted (you will receive a new due date)
- Renewal is denied (you must return the material immediately)
Remember
- One renewal request allowed per loan.
- Renewal Approval is up to the lender.
- Renewals granted are usually 2-4 weeks.
- Requests for renewals must be made within the 5-day period before the due date. ILLiad will not allow renewals outside of this time-frame.
- Note: The Due Date automatically generated by ILLiad upon submission of your Renewal Request is a provisional or "temporary" due date. You will be notified of the response and/or the new due date via email.
Limitations
- Renewals cannot be placed on overdue materials.
- Renewals cannot be placed on "No Renewal" items.
- We cannot grant second renewals. However, you may re-request the item if needed.
- You are allowed one re-request of a borrowed item during a semester after the first copy is returned to Interlibrary Loan.
Recalls
All loans are subject to recall by the lending institution and must be returned immediately if recalled. Failure to return a recalled item by the given date may result in charges accruing at an accelerated rate.
[ Last Revised on Mar. 10, 2026 ]