Interlibrary Loan
What is Interlibrary Loan (ILL)?
Interlibrary loan is a service by which books and other materials not available at Creighton can be borrowed from another library. The conditions of this service are governed by the ILL Code of the American Library Association, the State of Nebraska, and by each participating library.
Who may use ILL services?
Students, faculty, and staff in the Creighton College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Business, and in University College may request items through the Reinert-Alumni Library's ILL service. Health Sciences and Law clientele should contact their libraries directly.
What may be requested?
Books and journal articles not held by any of the three Creighton University Libraries may be requested through ILL. ILL cannot be used to acquire textbooks available from the Creighton Campus Bookstore. Most libraries will not loan multi-volume sets, audiovisual media, reference books, or entire issues of periodicals. In some cases, dissertations are not available for loan, either.
How much does it cost?
The Reinert-Alumni Library charges students and staff a nominal fee of 10 cents per page for articles or photocopies, up to a maximum charge of $3 per request. There is no charge for the loan of books or dissertations. Fines are charged for overdue or missing ILL books, just as for Creighton materials. ILL is provided to Creighton faculty at no charge.
How long does it take?
Most articles arrive in 4-6 working days and most books arrive in 8-10 working days. Turnaround depends upon the nature of the material requested and the geographic location of the lending library. Requests will be processed and sent as quickly as possible. If your deadline cannot be met, you will be notified accordingly.
How do I make an ILL request?
To request a book or article, you can use the web forms linked above, or use paper forms available from the Reference and Circulation Desks. Most library databases also offer the option of automatically generating an ILL request if there is no full text available. A separate form is needed for each item requested, and complete and accurate information will speed delivery. It is also helpful to include the source of your reference.
Where do I pick up my material when it arrives?
You will be notified by email or by phone when the books or photocopies that you have requested are available. Items may be picked up at the Circulation Desk. Please pay any charges indicated at that time. Faculty will receive their articles electronically.
Are there any restrictions?
The lending library determines the conditions of the loan, including the due date. Articles are yours to keep, but books must be returned by the date indicated, or we will block privileges just as we do with our own overdue books.
The Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. In compliance with this law, no library or archives may request more than 5 articles annually from a given periodical published within the previous 5 years. However, we may be able to exceed this limit by paying a copyright fee or by referring you to another library nearby that owns the publication. We reserve the right to refuse to accept a copying request if, in our judgment, fulfillment of the request would violate the Copyright Law.
Questions about Interlibrary Loan can be directed to Lynn Schneiderman in the Reference Department.