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Interlibrary Loan: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who may use Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services are available to all UC faculty, staff, and currently registered students. A valid UC Irvine library card is required. All non-UC users should contact their local public library, workplace library, or the ILL unit of their own college or university. Off-campus users with a valid UC Irvine library card may borrow only materials from the Southern Regional Storage Facility (SRLF) that UC Irvine deposited at SRLF. SRLF is a high-density library shelving facility on the UCLA campus. Please see Interlibrary Loan staff for these mediated requests.

How do I submit my Interlibrary Loan requests?

  • Use the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) forms to request documents not held or unavailable at UCI.
  • Use the Transfers forms to request the transfer of documents between GML and Langson/Ayala Science Libraries.

How do I use CDL Melvyl catalog Request?

Use the CDL Melvyl catalog Request button to automatically place an interlibrary loan or document delivery request while displaying search results. Items will be delivered to the department of eligible DDS users. If you are not a DDS user, you will be notified when the item may be picked up at the Langson, Ayala Science, or Grunigen Medical Libraries.

To place a CDL Melvyl catalog Request, complete your search and while the results are displayed:

  1. Select an item by clicking on the title of the material to access it's record.
  2. Click on the Request button.
  3. Fill out the online form entering:
    1. your Departmental affiliation or major
    2. your Library Card Number
    3. your preferred UCI delivery location
    4. your e-mail address (required for Web delivery) and
    5. notes (if applicable).
  4. Click on the Continue button.
  5. Confirm your choice. Read and accept a very brief copyright statement. Click on the Process my Request now button.
  6. Review the Request confirmation message.
  7. Either copy or e-mail yourself the confirmation notice as a record of what you requested.

You may receive messages during the Request process that inform you about online availability of items or your authorization to use the service.

How do I use UC-eLinks Request?

Use the UC-eLinks button to automatically place an interlibrary loan or document delivery request while displaying search results. Items will be delivered to the department of eligible DDS users. If you are not a DDS user, you will be notified when the item may be picked up at the Langson, Ayala Science, or Grunigen Medical Libraries.

To place a UC-eLinks Request:

  1. Select an item by clicking on the title of the material to access it's record.
  2. Click on the Request button.
  3. Fill out the online form entering:
    1. your Departmental affiliation or major
    2. your Library Card Number
    3. your preferred UCI delivery location
    4. your e-mail address (required for Web delivery) and
    5. notes (if applicable).
  4. Click on the Continue button.
  5. Confirm your choice. Read and accept a very brief copyright statement. Click on the Process my Request now button.
  6. Review the Request confirmation message.
  7. Either copy or e-mail yourself the confirmation notice as a record of what you requested.

You may receive messages during the Request process that inform you about online availability of items or your authorization to use the service.

What if I my Interlibrary Loan request cannot be processed?

During the request process, you may receive the following message:

This item is owned by a UCI library and is only available via Request if you are registered for document delivery service. You entered a library card/account number that is not valid for document delivery. Eligible faculty and graduate students may contact Langson Library Document Delivery Service or the Ayala Science Library Document Delivery Service to register. If you have recently registered for campus document delivery service, your account may not have been entered into the system yet.

You may go to your campus library to obtain the item.

Please click on the Process button to complete the request if the material is unavailable at the UC Irvine Libraries. If the item is available at the Langson/Ayala Science Libraries, please use the Transfers form.

How many ILL requests may I submit?

Faculty, students, and staff may use the Request service to submit:

  • 20 requests per day from the Melvyl Catalog for books
  • 20 requests per day from the CDL Article Databases for articles
  • Unlimited SRLF and NRLF requests
  • Unlimited Transfers requests

How much will this cost me?

Free loans and copies are available from other UC’s, Stanford (excluding Lane Medical Library), Center for Research Libraries, and some reciprocal academic loan partners. Book loans and copy fees from institutions that charge UCI are billed to undergraduate and extension students. Requests will not be placed without your approval when a fee is incurred.

Subsidized borrowing up to $50 per Interlibrary Loan transaction began on July 1, 2002 for UC Irvine faculty, staff, and graduate students at the Langson, Ayala Science, and Grunigen Medical Libraries. Requests by honors undergraduates and materials for senior theses are also subsidized. Requests for research and instructional purposes only will be honored.

Can I check on the status of my requests?

Use My ILL Requests to check the status of your Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests.  This service displays the status of your Interlibrary Loan request, including due date, in process, received, returned, recalled, and renewal pending. You may also place renewal requests and cancel requests online via My ILL Requests. Transfer requests are not displayed in this service.

For login instructions, see Interlibrary Loan - How to Use "My ILL Requests".

How will I know when my requests have arrived?

Users are notified by e-mail when ILL material is available for pickup at the loan desk of the user's home library. Whenever possible articles are sent by e-mail.

Document Delivery Service will deliver items received through Interlibrary Loan to the department offices of eligible UCI faculty, graduate students, and administrative staff, unless the material is restricted to use in the library.

What is Web delivery?

Electronic Web delivery is a service provided to ILL users free of charge. Users must provide their UC Irvine email address to be eligible for Web delivery. When available, article requests will be sent by e-mail. Usual copyright restrictions apply.

How long can I use my ILL materials?

The supplier sets the loan period and may set special conditions on the use of ILL materials. In general, we strive to provide materials for at least 2 weeks.

How do I renew ILL items?

Renewals must be requested before the due date. Please use My ILL Requests or call the UC Irvine Grunigen Medical Library. If calling, we need your name and the "ILL#" from the white book band to request your renewal.

The lending library decides how long to extend the due date. They may refuse to renew the material.

Are there any restrictions on Interlibrary Loan materials?

  • Lending libraries determine conditions regarding the use of their materials. Some materials may be restricted to "Library Use Only".
  • Items with no copying permitted must be used in the Langson Library Special Collections & Archives Department during its public service hours.
  • Items borrowed on Interlibrary Loan cannot be placed on Reserve for UC Irvine classes.
  • Material owned by UC Irvine and deposited by UC Irvine at SRLF may be placed on Reserve.
  • UC Irvine honors all rules established by lenders.

How do I return an ILL?

All materials borrowed must be returned on or before the due date to the ILL or Loan Desk at the patron's home library. Please leave the bookbands on the items so they are clearly marked as ILL materials. Failure to return material on time may result in a suspension of your UC Irvine Libraries privileges.

Document Delivery Service users may schedule a pickup using the Document Delivery Service Pickup Request Form.

Refusing to return materials jeopardizes our privileges with other libraries. YOU are responsible for your ILL materials. Be prepared to pay for overdue or lost items.

My ILL request was canceled. What can I do now?

We will notify you by e-mail if your Interlibrary Loan request had to be canceled. There are many reasons why an ILL request might be canceled. The following are the most common reasons:

  • Owned by the UC Irvine Libraries. If the item is missing or you discover we do not own it, please resubmit your request with a note to us.
  • On Reserve at the UC Irvine Libraries.
  • Non-circulating. The item is non-circulating (cannot be checked out) and unavailable for loan from the owning libraries. Materials that often cannot be obtained include:
    • Periodical volumes, particularly those less than five years old
    • Reference books
    • Non-print material such as videotapes, CD’s, DVD's, and sound recordings
    • Extremely old books
    • Rare or valuable material housed in Special Collections departments
    • Genealogical material
    • New books, especially "popular reading"
    • Too new. The item has been recently published, newly acquired, or too new to be circulated by the lending library. We suggest you resubmit your request at a later date (one to two months is recommended).
    • Not found as cited. ILL was not able to find this item as cited in the original request. We suggest that you verify the citation, confer with the ILL staff, and initiate a new request if still needed.
    • Need by date. If you specified that you need your ILL material by a specific date, ILL will notify you and cancel the request if the deadline cannot be met. We suggest you initiate a new request if the item is still needed.

 Have any other questions?  Contact us.

E-mail:  mclill@uci.edu

Phone:  (714) 456-5581