FAQ

• What is interlibrary loan, and who can use it?
• How much does it cost?
• How long does it take to arrive? Is rush delivery available?
• How do I appeal an overdue ILL fine?
• What if I am not a current UCSD student, staff, or faculty?
• How do I submit an interlibrary loan request?
• What materials are available via ILL?
• What items are not available via ILL?
• What is the policy for videos/DVD?

What is interlibrary loan (ILL) and who can use it?

Interlibrary Loan is a UCSD-subsidized service for all current UCSD students, staff, and faculty/academics to request from other libraries books or copies of articles that are not available at UCSD when needed to support University research, coursework, or UC job-related functions. You must be registered with the UCSD Libraries in order to use interlibrary loan services. Some categories of patrons, including those in degree programs jointly administered by UCSD, students affiliated with other schools, or those enrolled in clinical rotations or internships at UCSD, may not be eligible for ILL privileges. Contact the appropriate ILL unit with questions about eligibility.

How much does it cost?

Most Interlibrary Loans are subsidized by the UCSD Libraries for eligible users and do not, therefore, require payment for UCSD students, staff, and faculty/academics. Users will be alerted in advance if a cost will apply and asked if they wish to follow through with the request.

How long does it take to arrive? Is rush delivery available?

Generally articles are emailed to you from other UC libraries within 3 working days; books from other UC libraries usually arrive in 3-12 days. Recently published or hard-to-find items may take several weeks. Foreign dissertations may take 1-2 months to arrive.

If you require RUSH delivery, please call or email the library for assistance. Additional costs may be incurred for Rush delivery.

How do I appeal an overdue ILL fine?

Use this form to submit an appeal for an ILL item. You may also submit the form from the workstation at the Geisel Library Circulation Desk.

What if I am not a current UCSD student, staff, or faculty?

Those not currently affiliated with UCSD, including alumni, non-concurrently enrolled extension students, local businesses, and UCSD students or others working for a company and seeking materials related to their employment) may request materials for a fee by using the PLUS Information Service.

How do I submit an interlibrary loan request?

Interlibrary loan requests may be placed using a variety of methods which are outlined here.

If you have difficulty using the Citation Linker, please use this form, also indicating at which UCSD library you would like to pick up the material.

What materials are available via ILL?

Books, government publications, dissertations, and other materials which are not owned, missing, or checked out from the UCSD Libraries' collections can be borrowed from other libraries. Journal articles, patents, conference papers and proceedings, standards, technical reports, proceedings, chapters, and other materials which are not owned, missing, or checked out from the UCSD Libraries' collections can be photocopied from other libraries nationwide and around the world, with copies made available to you electronically. Some items such as videos, micro formats and rare books or manuscripts may be available through interlibrary loan on a library-use only basis.

Please note that ILL is intended to support University research, coursework, or UC job-related functions, and not intended for recreational reading.

• Items not owned or not available at UCSD.
• Items missing from UCSD’s collections. Before requesting an interlibrary loan for a missing item, check ROGER to see if any other UCSD library has an available copy; if not, request a search at the owning library’s Circulation Desk. Once an item has been placed in search status, you may request it via interlibrary loan.

What items are not available via ILL?

• Reference Items
• Items available at UCSD through Course Reserves
• Items available at UCSD in Microform or other micro formats
• Slides
• Other non-circulating items (such as current journal issues)

Requesting of recreational materials is discouraged.

In addition, certain items may be difficult to obtain via interlibrary loan:

• Videos
• Dissertations
• CDs/DVDs
• Non-circulating items

What is the policy for videos/DVDs?

Video/DVD formats can sometimes be very difficult to obtain, especially under time constraints. Many times, video requests do not get filled because the items are fragile, few copies of the item exist, or items may not circulate. Once a video/DVD is shipped to the library, it is considered a library-use-only item, and will be available for viewing at the Film and Video Reserve Room. We may, however, allow the item to be checked out for a 24-hour period (for graduate students, staff, or faculty only) , so that the item may be viewed in a lecture. This 24-hour checkout period cannot be extended.