Interlibrary Loan Information for OUR PATRONS

 

Important guidelines related to ILL Borrowing Services

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a resources sharing system among libraries within the US. This means that patrons can present a request to their own library to borrow the resources of another institution on their behalf. However, there are some limitations associated with ILL services. Patrons need to be aware of the following guidelines to find out if they qualify to use interlibrary loan (ILL) services:

• We are happy to assist all our library users (including our public patrons from the surrounding areas) who wish to make a request for electronic ILLs (PDFs).

• Only current students and faculty/staff who are within a 50-mile radius from the Richmond campus can request physical materials (books or other physical media). Additionally, ILL print media cannot be mailed to a qualified patron’s location. The patron must appear in person to pick up the item.
  • You can pick up ILL resources when you come to Richmond for the on-campus week of the semester, but these items must be returned before you leave town. This is a great reason to start your research early, so that you can place ILL requests in time to use them during the on-campus week!

• On rare occasions, the lending institution designates a hard copy as "In-library use only." In this kind of situation, a patron must use the item within the library. This kind of item cannot leave the library.

 

Sometimes, however, it's easier to visit another local library. We have reciprocal borrowing agreements with universities in Virginia, as well as seminaries from all over the world.