What is Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary Loan is a service which obtains, from other libraries, research materials that are not available in the University Libraries' collections.

Who can use this service?

Interlibrary Loan is offered to currently enrolled students, faculty (both current and retired), and staff of Valparaiso University. If you are affiliated with the VU Law School, do NOT use Christopher Center's ILLiad. Your requests will NOT be placed. Instead, please go to VU Law School ILLiad Site. Community/ Family card holders: You do not have interlibrary loan privileges (click here for policy); please do not place requests- they will be cancelled.

What does it cost?

Charges for ILL loans are subsidized by the library and not passed on to the requester unless the patron loses the book, or turns it in late, resulting in overdue charges (see next question).

What happens if I lose an interlibrary loan item or turn it in late?

The lending library sets the fines for lost and overdue books. The borrowing patron is required to pay these fees. Patrons with fines and overdue items will be blocked from the ILLiad system until these items are returned and/or paid for. Patrons with severely overdue interlibrary loan items (more than one month overdue) or unpaid fines may also be blocked from checking out any books from Valparaiso University, in addition to being blocked from using interlibrary loan. All items must be returned, and all fines paid, before any blocks will be removed. You will not receive your diploma if you have outstanding bills/fines with the library.

How long does it take for requests to arrive?

During the fall 2007 semester, the average turnaround time for articles/copies was 5.4 days, while the average turnaround time for loans was 10.65 days. During semester peak times, or if the material is difficult to locate, the turn around time may run longer. It is essential that you plan ahead to order material. If you place an order and want to see where your request is in processing, you may check the status in the ILLiad system by logging in at http://valpo.illiad.oclc.org/illiad/logon.html.

How long can I keep materials?

The Lending Library determines the due date of the materials shipped to VU. Times vary, but the general guide is two to three weeks usage (not including a possible renewal).

May I borrow Christopher Center books that are checked out?

Yes, although you may be able to get the book(s) more quickly by recalling them in Galileo (our catalog). To recall a book that is checked out, go into that item's record within Galileo, click on the "request" button, and enter the requested information. If you decide to order a checked out item through Interlibrary Loan, please indicate this within the notes section of the request form. If Valparaiso University holdings are listed as missing, lost, lost and paid, to bind, or has been recalled with one hold, you may also order it through Interlibrary Loan. (Please indicate the reason that the book is unavailable within the notes section of the request form.)

Do I have to know what library owns the material?

No, the Interlibrary Loan staff will locate and obtain the material for you.

May I borrow entire journals?

In general, no, the ILL Department may order articles from journals following the copyright laws but the journal itself may not be borrowed. In some rare circumstances libraries will agree to loan whole journals, but this does not happen very often and makes a request exponentially more difficult to fill.

May I submit my request with an abbreviated title?

No, all titles must be in full text. If you have trouble deciphering the title, first check our Journal Title Abbreviation help page to find out what the full journal title is before placing the ILL article request. If you need more assistance, staff in Interlibrary Loan or Reference will help you. If you are referencing a citation from Chemical Abstracts, go to CAS/DDS TITLE SEARCH.

May I borrow a thesis, dissertation, proceedings, or a report?

These items are generally more difficult to acquire because they are rarer than other types of materials. Dissertations are easier to get than master's theses. Some libraries will lend a dissertation or thesis if they have more than one copy. We are usually able to borrow Proceedings or Reports. If they are lengthy, a multi volume set, or rare you may have to request photocopies of a particular section. Some of these materials may not be available through interlibrary loan.

May I borrow Audio Visual (AV) materials?

We will place AV requests for academic purposes, although entertainment requests will be cancelled. If you request an AV item, you must include your class name/number in the notes field or the request will be cancelled. AV requests are more difficult to get and usually take longer than book or article requests.

What restrictions are there?

Interlibrary Loans are governed by the lending library. Christopher Center must abide by any restrictions the lending library specifies. Examples of these restrictions are:
* IN LIBRARY USE ONLY: the material must not leave the Christopher Center
* NO PHOTOCOPIES: this is usually with a dissertation and/or thesis and is a request of the author of the material
* HANDLE WITH CARE: the material is fragile, rare, or extremely valuable
* NON-RENEWABLE: the lending library will not allow renewals

May I borrow older materials?

Some works published pre-1900 may be obtained through ILL. The material may not come in book form but instead on microfilm or microfiche. These will be designated "IN LIBRARY USE ONLY" and may only be used in the Christopher Center. Microfilm/fiche readers with copiers are available in the library. As with any loan, you are expected to be extremely careful handling the material. You will be held responsible for lost or damaged items, and the replacement fees can be sizable.

How do I find out the status of my request?

Login to ILLiad and click on "Outstanding Requests" under "View". The next screen will list all your active requests, and the status column will let you know the current stage of your requests.

How will I be notified?

An e-mail will be sent to you by the ILLiad system when the material arrives. Processing of arrivals generally takes place on the day the material arrives.

Where do I pick up and return my ILL materials?

All loans are held at the main Circulation Desk in the Christopher Center (2nd floor), where you may check them out/ pick them up. All articles are delivered electronically. ILL materials may be returned to Christopher Center's Circulation Desk any time the library is open.

May I renew my loan?

It is up to the lending library if they will renew the materials or not. You are allowed one renewal request per loan. To request a renewal, log into ILLiad and click on "Checked out Items" under "View" and select the transaction number for item you want to renew. At the top of the next screen, you'll see "Renew Request" in red. Click on this, and your request will be placed and a temporary due date will appear at the top of the screen. This temporary due date is a guess and will probably change. This is because once we have your renewal request it is forwarded onto the lending library, and they send back a new due date, which probably will not be the same as ILLiad's guesstimated due date.

Where is the ILL Office and what are its hours?

The Interlibrary Loan Office is located in the 2nd floor of the Christopher Center. Interlibrary Loan Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am - noon and 1:00-4:30pm.

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?

1. 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.
2. Your request will be handled more rapidly and accurately as problems relating to misinterpretation of hand-written requests are eliminated.
3. You can get many of your photocopies more quickly through Electronic Delivery.
4. 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.
5. 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 your 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 should be your VU e-mail username (also called LDAP username). Your password 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, if you remember your username, you can reset your password yourself by clicking on "Forgot Password?" from the login screen. If you do not remember your username or password, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office at (219) 464-5363. We can then reset your password allowing you access to ILLiad. Please change your password once you logon to ILLiad.

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.
• When using a public access workstation:
  1. Delete from the history file those pages that contain your personal information.
  2. Exit from the Web browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from accessing the pages you were using.
  3. Log off the computer when you're done.

What is electronic delivery?

Many libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. In the past we printed these articles before delivering them to you. Now, through ILLiad, we are able to offer you the option of electronic delivery of these articles in PDF format (Adobe's Portable Document Format). You can read more about electronic delivery on the Electronic Delivery Information page.

Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about ILLiad?

System Problems or Interlibrary Loan Questions: Interlibrary Loan office at (219) 464-5363 or e-mail ill@valpo.edu
Technical Support Questions: E-mail anytime to ill@valpo.edu

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.