Interlibrary Loan FAQ
Frequently Asked Interlibrary Loan Questions
General Interlibrary Loan Questions
- What is Interlibrary Loan (ILL)?
- Who is eligible to use Interlibrary Loan?
- What materials can or cannot be obtained through Interlibrary Loan?
- How do I submit an Interlibrary Loan request?
- What if I am an RA?
- What if I am on a journal?
- How long does it take to fill an Interlibrary Loan request?
- How can I check on the status of an Interlibrary Loan request?
- How will Interlibrary Loan notify me when the materials arrive?
- Where do I pick up my materials?
- How long can I keep books borrowed through Interlibrary Loan?
- What if I lose or damage books obtained through Interlibrary Loan?
- Can I renew Interlibrary Loan materials?
- Who do I contact if I have other problems or questions?
ILLiad Questions
- What is ILLiad?
- How is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?
- Are there any disadvantages to the electronic system?
- Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?
- What if I forget my password?
- What Web browser should I use?
- Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?
- Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?
- What is electronic or web article delivery?
- Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about ILLiad?
- Why does my browser say that you're sending a cookie? What's in it?
General Interlibrary Loan Questions
What is Interlibrary Loan (ILL)?
Georgetown Law ILL provides access to library materials not owned by or accessible at the Law Library on behalf of eligible patrons. ILL can be used to obtain materials for your Law Center course work, paper, note writing, journal source collection, scholarly research or interests, RA or hired work.
Who is eligible to use Interlibrary Loan?
Georgetown Law ILL is available to the faculty, students, staff and visiting scholars who have an active circulation account with the Law Library. Public Patrons must obtain ILL service through their law firms, government agencies or organizations.
What materials can or cannot be obtained through Interlibrary Loan?
- ILL provides access to items such as:
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- Books; microforms; reports; journal, magazine or newspaper articles; book chapters;
- Law Library titles that are Checked Out, at the Bindery or declared Lost or Missing.
- The following are not eligible for borrowing:
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- Reading Room titles; Reserve titles; Reference & Library Use titles;
- Required course readings, any edition or format (use the Library's Reserve copy);
- Study aids, any edition or format (use titles found in Treatise Finder or catalog);
- Audio books.
- The following types of materials are not loaned by libraries & therefore not obtainable:
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- Entire issues or volumes of periodicals; original newspapers; electronic books; digital audio files; reference books (e.g. dictionaries, encyclopedia); textbooks; rare materials; special collection items; archival materials; manuscripts; genealogical items; books published 100 or more years ago.
- Tips:
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- Submit a "Photocopy" request for specific pages or sections from materials that libraries do not lend.
- Main campus library books are to be requested as Intercampus Book Loans through George.
- Patrons are encouraged to submit a library purchase request for:
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- Film to be screened on campus;
- Another library copy of a reference or reserve title that is consistently unavailable for use;
- Law material that is too new or not loaned due to format (e.g. looseleaf) or type (e.g. reference).
- Submit a "Photocopy" request for specific pages or sections from materials that libraries do not lend.
For personal or leisure requests (unrelated to your Law Center class, work or research), the following are not eligible for borrowing, but can be obtained through your public library instead:
- Audio recordings (e.g. audio books, music, etc.) in any format;
- Visual recordings (e.g. movies, television series, etc.) in any format;
- Language learning; self-help; instructional; skills development recordings, in any format;
- Graphic novels; manga magazines; comics; children & juvenile books;
- Intensely popular titles where demand far exceeds lending supply.
- Tips:
-
- Mango Languages is available through the Law Library.
- Some Rosetta Stone CDs are available at main campus' Language Learning Technology (LLT) Center. LLT has its own borrowing policy, separate from the Law Library.
- Main campus' Gelardin New Media Center also carries language learning media. Gelardin has its own borrowing policy, separate from the Law Library.
- Use the DC Public Library, its physical as well as its downloadable media collections. Anyone who resides, works, pays property taxes or attends school in DC is eligible to register as a patron.
- Personal or leisure ILL requests will be processed in the following manner:
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- Submitted only to those libraries that do not charge;
- Submitted to no more than 25 potential lenders;
- Canceled if unfilled after resorting to 25 potential lenders.
How do I submit an Interlibrary Loan request?
Use the ILL system, ILLiad.
Tips: Check Encore or GULLiver catalog first to determine if the book or journal is owned by or accessible through the Law Library. Also check main campus' Lauinger Library by clicking on 'Find at Main Campus' in our catalog.
What if I am an RA?
Follow the Interlibrary Loan Instructions for RAs.
What if I am on a journal?
See Interlibrary Loan Instructions for Journal Staff.
How long does it take to fill an Interlibrary Loan request?
It takes approximately 5 to 7 business days to fill a loan request, depending on the location and availability of the item. Copy requests could be filled within a few hours to 3 days. However, since we cannot guarantee the arrival date of any ILL material, please plan well in advance.
How can I check on the status of an Interlibrary Loan request?
Log onto your ILLiad account and click on:
- "Outstanding Requests" to track requests that have not yet been filled;
- "Checked Out Items" to view your checked out ILLs;
- "Renewal Request" through each Checked Out Item record to request an loan extension;
- "History Requests" to view a list of your completed ILLs.
How will Interlibrary Loan notify me when the materials arrive?
You will receive an e-mail message notifying you when materials arrive.
Where do I pick up my materials?
Students:
- Books can be picked up at the Williams Library's Circulation Desk (202-662-9131).
- Copy of articles, chapters, etc. will normally be deposited into your ILLiad account.
Journals (office accounts):
- Books will be delivered into your journal mailbox located behind the Office of Journals Administration reception desk.
- Copies will normally be deposited electronically into your ILLiad account. In some circumstances, hardcopy of articles will be delivered into the journal mailbox. Read the e-mail notification to determine delivery method.
Faculty (or faculty proxy accounts for RAs):
- All ILL items will be delivered to the faculty office or to the faculty's assistant by Research Services.
Staff:
- If you provide the faculty's name into the ILL request, the copy or book will be delivered to the faculty by Research Services.
- Books ordered for your own use will be held at the Williams Library's Circulation Desk (202-662-9131).
- Copies ordered for your own use will normally be deposited electronically into your ILLiad account but could also be emailed to your Law account as an attachment or held at the Williams' Circulation Desk for your retrieval. Read the text of the e-mail notification to determine delivery method.
How long can I keep books borrowed through Interlibrary Loan?
Due dates are set by the lending library regardless of your status at the Law Center. The loan period varies for each borrowed item, the average being 3 weeks.
What if I lose or damage books obtained through Interlibrary Loan?
If the Law Library is billed for an overdue, lost or damaged book, charges will be passed on to you. Your student account will be billed. Once your student account is charged the invoiced amount, credits or refunds are not provided. Libraries loan to us as a courtesy and expect that their books will be returned on time and in good condition.
Can I renew Interlibrary Loan materials?
You may request a renewal of an ILL item through the ILLiad within five days in advance of the due date or you may request a renewal via e-mail. You will receive an e-mail response informing you whether or not the renewal has been granted by the lender. The lending library is responsible for the decision as to whether an item can be renewed and for how long. Renewals are granted once at the most and are not granted for overdue materials.
Who do I contact if I have other questions?
Call the Interlibrary Loan office at (202) 662-9154, e-mail your question or visit Williams Law Library Room 204 (Public Services). You may also direct questions to the Williams Reference Desk at (202) 662-9140.
ILLiad Questions
What is ILLiad?
ILLiad is the electronic system you use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan. The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for InterLibrary Loan internet accessible database.
How is ILLiad better than traditional ILL systems?
- You will find it easier to submit your interlibrary loan requests. With ILLiad, you enter your name, address, and other personal information into the system only once, at the time of your first request.
- Your request will be handled more rapidly and accurately as problems relating to misinterpretation of hand-written requests are eliminated.
- You can get many of your photocopies more quickly through Electronic Delivery.
- You can get information about the status of your request through the Web at any time from any location without having to call the ILL Department.
- Library personnel are able to serve you better because all data about your request and its handling is stored in a searchable database. We are able to respond quickly to inquiries about your request. We are also able to gather statistical information about the performance of the libraries that lend to us, enabling us to make better decisions when choosing a lender to supply an item.
Are there any disadvantages to the electronic system?
Some people might find it troublesome to have to log into ILLiad using a username and password. We believe this is less trouble than traditional paper and electronic systems which require you to enter your personal information with each new request.
Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?
Your username and password allows us to give you secure access to information about your interlibrary loan requests. We can also enable you to edit your personal information such as your address or phone number.
Your username can be anything you like, such as your name, abbreviations, or an alphanumeric code. Your password also can be anything you like. We recommend that you follow good security practice and choose a password that is different from those you use to access other systems. However, no one but you will know your password, not even the library staff. The password you set is stored in an encrypted file.
What if I forget my password?
In the event that you forget your password, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office at (202) 662-9154 or by e-mail. We can reset your password allowing you access to ILLiad. The next time you log into ILLiad, you should change your password again.
What Web browser should I use?
You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and, preferably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We recommend the current versions of either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.
Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?
Yes. Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation. This allows a subsequent user of the workstation to access the system under your name using the browser's Back button to recall a page from the cache, or by finding a page with your personal information in the browser's history file. If you are concerned about the security of your interlibrary loan requests, you can take the following steps:
- Access ILLiad only from your personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation; or
- When using a public workstation:
- Delete from the history file those pages that contain your personal information.
- Exit from the Web browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from accessing the pages you were using.
Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?
From time to time we purge older records from ILLiad. Our policy is to keep requests online for several years in order to comply with record keeping requirements of the copyright law.
What is electronic or web article delivery?
Whenever possible, through ILLiad, we are able to offer you the option of electronic delivery of articles in PDF (Adobe's Portable Document Format) via the web.
Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about ILLiad?
Interlibrary Loan office at (202) 662-9154 or e-mail.
Why does my browser say that you're sending a cookie? What's in it?
The technology that we use sends a Session ID to be stored on your machine. You can refuse this cookie and still be able to use ILLiad without any problems.
