UMass Amherst
site search
Libraries
May 11th 2008  |  Complete Hours
 
Ask A Librarian
phone
email
chat
IM
Library Catalog Databases My Library Accounts RefWorks E-Journals  
Quick Search Find How Do I Services Collection About Us  
UMass Libraries > Library Services > Interlibrary Loan & Document DeliveryPrintable Version
 

 


 

Quick Links:

UMass Amherst Library Catalog

4 College Catalog

Interlibrary Loan

Library
Express Login

Office Hours & Location

Contact Information

Information for
Other Libraries

   
Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery

Frequently Asked Questions

When to use Interlibrary Loan and Library Express

How do I submit a request for interlibrary loan?

What if I forget my password?

Can I order a book from the 4 colleges through interlibrary loan?

Can I order articles from journals held in the 4 Colleges?

The book I need does not circulate in this library. Can I borrow this through interlibrary loan?

I am not affiliated directly with the University as faculty, staff or student. Can I use the University's Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Service?

How long does it take for material to arrive through interlibrary loan?

How much does interlibrary loan cost?

Can I get dissertations through interlibrary loan?

How many requests can I place through interlibrary loan? Is there a limit?

How are materials delivered and notifications sent?

What are the loan periods and restrictions for interlibrary loan materials?

How do I renew a book that I have checked out through ILL?

What is the overdue policy on interlibrary loan materials?

What is "electronic delivery" of articles?

  • How do I sign up for electronic delivery?
  • How do I set up my computer to receive articles electronically?
  • How can I get Adobe Acrobat Reader?
  • How do I get my articles when they arrive?
  • How do I know which requests will be delivered electronically and which ones will not?
  • Do I have to receive articles electronically?

    Other ways to obtain materials not owned by the University Libraries


    When to use Virtual Catalog, Interlibrary Loan and Library Express services.

  • Interlibrary Loan Use this service to request both articles and books from other libraries and that are not owned here. Interlibrary Loan can take from a few days to 2-3 weeks to be filled and loan periods vary. The material format, availability of the material and time of year are all factors which affect how quickly and interlibrary loan request can be filled. Delivery of articles can be electronic or by mail (your choice) and books can be picked up at the Circulation Office in the Du Bois Library during any hours the library is open.

  • Library Express  Use this service to order delivery of materials held in the UMass Amherst library collections. Library Express will provide direct, to your desktop or doorstep, delivery of materials from the library collections located in the Du Bois Library and in the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library. The fee for this service will be $5.00 per article or book and is available to any current faculty, students or staff, on campus or off, near or far.| Top |

  • How do I submit a request for interlibrary loan?
    All ILL requests must be submitted via our online form. A separate request must be submitted for each article or book needed. You will be required to fill out a "First Time User Registration" with your contact information and preferences and you will need to choose a username and password the first time you use the system. This registration sets up your ILL account and needs to be filled out only once.
    | Top |

  • What if I forget my password?
    In the event that you forget your password, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office at (413) 545-0553. We can then reset your password allowing you access to ILLiad. Please change your password once you logon to ILLiad.

    | Top |

    Can I order a book from the 4 colleges through interlibrary loan?
    Books held in the 4 Colleges should be ordered through the  5 Colleges Library Catalog by using the "request an item" button. Books will be delivered to the Circulation Office in the Du Bois Library within 2-3 business days.

    | Top |

    Can I order articles from journals held in the 4 Colleges?
    Yes. If the journal you need is not held here, we can get a copy of the article you need through ILL. If you are in a hurry, however, we recommend that you go to that library yourself. ILL from the 4 Colleges can take a week.

    | Top |

    The book I need does not circulate in this library. Can I borrow this through interlibrary loan?
    No. We will not request items that are owned and available in some manner here. However, you can order this book through the 4 College catalog if it is available at one of those libraries.

    | Top |

    I am not affiliated directly with the University as faculty, staff or student. Can I use the University's Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Service?
    No. Your local public library can provide similar service for you.

    | Top |

    How long does it take for material to arrive through interlibrary
    loan?
    The time it takes for material to arrive can range from a couple of days to several weeks. The material format, availabilty of the material, the location of the lending library and time of year are all factors in how quickly an item will be received. The average time that it takes for material to arrive is less than ten days.

    | Top |

    How much does interlibrary loan cost?
    There is no charge to you for most materials obtained through interlibrary loan. The library absorbs any charges which must be paid to obtain the material you need. In cases where the documents needed can only be obtained by purchase, you would be notified and, referred to an appropriate source for the material.

    Please be aware that although we have many agreements with other libraries which allow for the free exchange of materials, sending a request is labor intensive, and we often must pay from $10.00 - $25.00 to another library per transaction.

    | Top |

    Can I get dissertations through interlibrary loan?
    We are successful in being able to borrow dissertations from other institutions about half of the time. If the dissertation you need is not available for loan (we would notify you of this fact) or you already know that you want to purchase it, you can order it directly from Dissertation Express on the web at http://wwwlib.umi.com/dxweb/gateway (Choose "Connect to Dissertation express as an individual"), or by phone at 1-800-521-0600.

    | Top |

    How many requests can I place through interlibrary loan? Is there a limit?
    We have an active request limit of 50 requests per person at any one time. This ensures fair and equitable service to ALL of our users by assuring that no one person or research project monopolizes our services at any given time. Please contact us at 413-545-0553 if you have questions or concerns about this limit.

    | Top |

    How are materials delivered and notifications sent?
    Articles can be delivered electronically or sent directly to you at the address you specify. Books must be picked up at the library. Notifications for books can be sent to you by email. You may also check the status of your ILL requests within your ILL account by choosing the "review Requests" section. ILL returnables (all items except photocopies) should be picked up and returned to the Du Bois Library Circulation Office.

    | Top |

    What are the loan periods and restrictions for interlibrary loan materials?
    Loan periods are established by the lending library and vary between two and four weeks. These loan periods must be respected. One renewal is sometimes possible, but this is at the discretion of the lending library. Our standard renewal is two weeks from the original due date. Ideally, renewals should be requested on or before the original due date and may be requested within your ILL account online under the "View/Renew Checked out Items" from within your main menu. You may also request a renewal by phone (413-545-0553) or in person if necessary.

    Lending libraries sometimes require that their materials be used only in the library, or that they not be photocopied. ILL will not waive such restrictions for individuals.

    | Top |

    How do I renew a book that I have checked out through ILL?
    Renewals may be requested within your ILL account online. Click on the "Checked out Items" catagory from within your main menu. Select the item you wish to renew and shoose the renew option.  You may also request a renewal by phone(413-545-0553) or in person if necessary.

    | Top |

    What is the overdue policy on interlibrary loan materials?
    Interlibrary Loan books are lent as a courtesy by another library. In order to maintain our reputation as a borrowing library, and our privilege to borrow, we must adhere to the due dates and restrictions imposed by that library. Please help us to keep good relationships with the libraries we borrow from by returning your materials in a timely manner.

    Overdue notices are sent on the following schedule:
    1st Overdue is sent when an item is more than 5 days overdue.
    2nd Overdue notice is sent when an item is more than 10 days overdue.
    3rd Overdue notices are sent when an Interlibrary Loan item is more than 30 days overdue. When the 3rd overdue notice is sent you will be automatically BLOCKED from using Interlibrary Loan services.
    A BLOCK on your record will also be placed for failure to return materials that have been RECALLED within 5 days of the recall notice or a notice that a renewal request has not been granted OR if material designated as USE IN LIBRARY ONLY is removed from the library or not returned to the circulation desk after each use.
    All blocks on your record will be removed when the overdue material is returned.

  • FAILURE TO RETURN INTERLIBRARY LOAN BOOKS WITHIN 45  DAYS OF THE FIRST OVERDUE WILL RESULT IN A BILL THAT WILL IMMEDIATELY BE FORWARDED TO THE BURSARS OFFICE FOR PAYMENT AND A BLOCK ON YOUR ABILITY TO CHARGE OUT MATERIALS FROM THIS COLLECTION. REPLACEMENT CHARGES ARE A MINUMUM OF $70.00. IF THE BOOK IS RETURNED AFTER THE BILL IS SENT TO THE BURSAR A REFUND OF $60.00 WILL BE MADE. UNPAID BURSAR BILLS RESULT IN THE INABILITY TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES OR TO RECEIVE GRADES.


     

    | Top |

    What is "electronic delivery" of articles?
    Electronic delivery is for articles and means you can access copies of journal articles or book chapters from your desktop. The ILLiad software, used by the UMass Libraries Interlibrary Loan office, will create a pdf file of an article. This file is then posted to a server in the library and you can access it via your ILLiad account.

    | Top |

    How do I sign up for electronic delivery?
    Logon to your ILLiad account. From the main menu, click the button labeled "Change User Information." For the choice "preferred electronic delivery if possible (via web through ILLiad?)," choose "yes" to have your articles posted to your ILLiad account.
    | Top |

    How do I set up my computer to receive articles electronically?
    You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed and configured to work with your web browser in order to open, read and print these articles.
    | Top |

    How can I get Adobe Acrobat Reader?
    Acrobat Reader is available free from OIT. http://www.oit.umass.edu/downloads.
    | Top |

    How do I get my articles when they arrive?
    First, you should logon to ILLiad. On the main menu, choose "electronic delivery." This will give you a list of all the items that have been delivered to you electronically. Click on the transaction number of the item you wish to read or print.
    | Top |

    How do I know which requests will be delivered electronically and which ones will not?
    Articles that come to us via Fax or regular mail will be mailed to you directly at the address you have given, as soon as they arrive. Articles that are delivered to us in electronic format will be processed and an email will be sent to you indicating that they a ready for you to view.

    | Top |

    Do I have to receive articles electronically?
    No, you can choose paper delivery if you wish. This choice can be made in the "User Registration Form" for ILLiad. You may change this information in the "Change User Information" portion of the main menu.

    | Top |

    Other ways to obtain materials not owned by the University Libraries

    5 Colleges Library Catalog The University Library System offers a book paging service from the Libraries of the Four Colleges. (Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Hampshire and Amherst). The material requested is sent to the W.E.B. Du Bois Library usually within 2 business days of the original request. This service is only available to UMass Faculty, Students, and Staff with a valid U-Card.

    WorldCat Use WorldCat to search for the book you need within a worldwide database of published material. Click on the ILL button to submit your request to Interlibrary Loan. . This service is only available to UMass Faculty, Students, and Staff with a valid U-Card that are also registered for ILL services.

    | Top |

Comments, suggestions? Email: ill@library.umass.edu

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003-9275
(413) 545-0150  |  Comments?