Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Policies
Obtaining Items this Library Does Not Own
| Purpose of Interlibrary Loan (ILL) | An Interlibrary Loan takes place when one library borrows from another in order to fill patrons' requests for materials not owned by the first library. Books, theses, and other materials are loaned to Murphy Library which in turn loans them to our patrons. In the case of non-circulating items, like periodical articles, the lending library photocopies the resources, and patrons generally do not have to return them. |
| Who May Use This Service and What Does it Cost | Interlibrary Loan services are available to all UW-La Crosse students, staff, and faculty engaged in academic research. There is no cost to the patrons unless the request cannot be filled for ten dollars or less. In cases such as this, patrons will be asked if they want the request filled and, if so, they will be responsible for the lending charges in excess of ten dollars. |
| How to Request a Loan |
Please use the Online Catalog
to check all UW libraries for books and use
Universal
Borrowing instead of ILL if you locate another
UW library that owns the book.
For articles, use the Periodicals List to ensure that Murphy Library does not own the item needed. After this step, please access the ILLiad system from the following address:
When the material requested is received, patrons will be notified by email. The email will indicate the method you need to use to obtain the item. All books videos and some articles will be waiting for you at the Circulation Desk at Murphy Library. Many articles will be posted at a website and you will be able to download the pdf file. |
| Length of Time it Takes to Get a Loaned Item | Generally, Interlibrary Loan items are received within one week. Articles can arrive much quicker, occasionally within 24 hours. |
| Length of Time One Can Keep the Loaned Item | The time you can keep a loaned item varies. The lending library determines when the book is due. Most libraries allow renewals. |
| ILL Express | ILL EXPRESS has been established to meet the needs of the
UW-L
patron who requires the delivery of books or photocopies from other
libraries faster than what can be accomplished with traditional interlibrary
loan. To do this Murphy Library must go to libraries and commercial
services who charge for expedited delivery of materials. We
therefore must charge a $10-$20 per request fee in order to recover the
cost to the library. If the cost is more than $20, we will contact you
ahead of time, and you will have the option of paying the full amount or
changing your request to a non-express status. The fee is
not assessed if the item does not arrive within the specified time. For
photocopied materials (magazine articles, tables of contents from books,
etc.), we will not charge if it takes more than 48 hours to obtain the
request. For books, the time limit is 72 hours. The 48 or 72 hours are
measured from the time you turn in your request until the time that the
item requested arrives at the library. The time limits do not include
weekend hours, Friday 5 PM to Monday 8 AM, or any day in which the
library is closed. It is your responsibility to pick up the requested item at the circulation desk at Murphy Library. |
| Restrictions on Loans | Murphy Library reserves the right to refuse requests which are
not in support of academic research. Requests for research materials that
are available in our library or through other local libraries will also
be returned to patrons. Batch requests (five or more) will be processed as time permits. During busy periods patron's sixth requests and beyond will be placed in a queue for processing as time permits. There is a restriction (40 requests) on how many active requests one patron can have at any one time. All requests must be in compliance with the National Interlibrary Loan Code, other regional, state, and local resource sharing agreements and copyright law. Lending libraries may place restrictions on the use of any loaned item and may request that the item be returned prior to its due date. |
| Related Resources | Several local libraries carry magazines and journals not carried at Murphy Library. This is especially true of popular magazines at La Crosse Public Library and medical journals at the two hospital libraries in La Crosse. UW-La Crosse students and faculty may use these resources. |
| Questions | Questions or concerns regarding Interlibrary Loan should be directed to the Interlibrary Loan Office. The telephone number is 785-8636. Email at illoffice@uwlax.edu This office is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. |