How to Use Interlibrary Loan

Logging on to ILL Patron Portal:

1. Select the Interlibrary loan link on the library homepage.
2. Sign in with your myCIU username and password.
3. Click on Create Request.
4. There are 3 options: Article, Book and Other.

Requesting an Article:

1. Use the Article tab if you need to request a full text article or chapter of a book.
2. For an article fill out the Journal Title, Author, Date of publication, volume #, Page # (if you do not know the page numbers, put “?”), Title of article.
3. Submit Request.
4. Your request will now show on the portal homescreen.
5. You will then receive an email that your request has been submitted. You can track its progress through your patron portal.
6. Once your article is available for download, you will be able to access it directly through your patron portal.

Requesting a Book:

1. Use the Book tab to request a book not currently owned by the library. (Books owned in Reference or in E-book are not able to be requested in print.)
2. To request a book, submit the book title and author.
3. Submit Request.
4. You will receive an email telling you that your request has been received. You can track your requests progress through your patron portal.
5. Once your book has arrived, you will receive an email informing you to pick up your book. That information will also be available on your patron portal.

Requesting Other (DVD, chapter of a book, etc):

Generally, your request should fall under either the article or book tab. If it does not, you can use the other tab.

1. To use the Other tab, fill in Title, Author, Date of publication, type of item.
   • If it is a book chapter, please include chapter title and page numbers.
2. Submit Request.
3. You will receive an email telling you that your request has been received. You can track your requests progress through your patron portal.

Accessing an Article:

1. To access your requested article, login and go to your patron portal homescreen.
2. Click on the request.
3. The article will then automatically download.

Canceling a Request:

If you would need to cancel a request you have made, you may do so from your patron portal by clicking the “cancel” button.

If the button does not appear, than your request cannot be canceled.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Frequently Asked Questions:

What is an ILL?

• Interlibrary Loan is the practice of sharing resources between participating libraries across the United States.
• Through ILL the CIU community can obtain a resource not currently owned by the library.

Who can request an ILL?

• All current CIU students, faculty and staff.
• CIU Distance students may request articles be sent electronically. Books should be requested through your local public library.
• While Alumni are welcome to use the CIU library and its resources, they are not able to use ILL.

Is there a cost to use ILL?

• No. CIU does not charge its patrons to use ILL.

How do I request an ILL?

• Complete the form found on the library homepage with all the required information.  

What is the difference between a copy and a loan?

• Request a loan if you need to access more than a small portion of a book not owned by the library. A Loan is a physical object borrowed from another library and will need to be returned by the due date.
• Request a copy if you need a full-text article or a chapter from a book not owned by the library. A Copy is provided by the library for your personal use and study and does not need to be returned.

When will my ILL book/article arrive?

• Books—Allow 7+ days for requested books.
• Articles—Allow 24-72 hours for your requested articles.

• The delivery time of requested items is completely dependent on the availability of the materials and the response time of the lending library. Some requests can take more than a week to process.

Can I request textbooks, DVD’s, rare books, etc?

• Most libraries will not loan out these items through ILL, but occasionally they will provide the requested item.  You can submit the request, but be prepared to be declined.

Can I request a physical copy of a book if the library owns an e-book copy?

• No, the library policy does not allow for borrowing another copy if we own it in e-book or in Reference.

How long can I keep my ILL book?

• Loaning periods are set by the lending library. Generally you are allowed 4-8 weeks.
• You are responsible for returning the ILL book on time, undamaged.
• Any paperwork in the book when you received it must be returned with the book.

Can I renew my ILL book?

• You may request a renewal. Please do so before the due date listed.
• Renewals are subject to approval by the lending school. If they decline the renewal, you are still responsible to return the book by the original due date.