Interlibrary Loan Services

Distribution of books and articles between campus libraries is available from Intercampus Loan. Interlibrary Loan is used for books and articles not located at either the Green Library, University Park Campus or Biscayne Bay Campus Library. You may pickup your ILL and ICL materials from the Circulation Desk at either campus location. Articles from ILL and ICL are delivered in PDF format to your desktop. Pickup your documents here.

Who can use ILL?

• Interlibrary Loan is available to any faculty (including retirees), staff, and currently enrolled FIU or SUS students.
• FIU Alumni are ineligible to receive ILL services, and are encouraged to seek this service from the nearest public library.

What if FIU owns the book or journal I need?
ILL service is not available for books owned by the FIU Libraries, including books and other materials currently checked out by another patron. If you need a book which is currently checked out to another patron, the Circulation Desk will be able to hold the book for you when it is returned or recall it immediately. Inquire at the Circulation Desk for details. If the book or periodical is not on the shelf when you look for it, please check again. Materials used by patrons within the library will be reshelved to the correct location. If the book is listed in the FIU Library Catalog as being "lost", "missing", or "at bindery", ILL will process your request. Articles in issues of journals and magazines owned by the FIU Libraries are not available through ILL. Requests for articles from periodical issues which are charged out or enroute to the bindery will be processed. Search in the FIU Library Catalog to verify holdings.

Why do I need to verify a citation?
Verified ILL citations will reduce the time you must wait for a response from the ILL Office. Citations which are correct have a better chance of being filled than do citations which are incorrect or incomplete. Be aware that citations from unverified sources, such as bibliographies at the end of chapters or articles, are more likely to be wrong than are citaitons from a verified source. Consult a verified source, such as an index, an abstract, or an online source supported by a library, in order to be assured that your citation is as good as you can make it.

How do I verify a citation?
There are many sources to be found in the library which should help you to verify your citation. Begin your verification at the Reference Desk if you are unsure about where next to proceed. Or, you may choose one or more of the following options as a starting point:

• The FIU Library Catalog will help you to verify FIU Library ownership of books, journals, magazines, newspapers, government documents, audio-visual materials, or many other materials in the Catalog. The Articles and Subject sections will help you to access indexes and abstracts in order to find articles in journals, newspapers, and magazines.
• The FIU Library provides electronic access to Full Text Materials available via indexes and abstracts, as well as to Electronic Journals to which the library subscribes. Also, electronic access to information by Subject or in Alphabetical Order is available.
• Books published before 1968 can be found in several places, primarily in the National Union Catalog. This multi-hundred volume work, a catalog of research libraries in the United States and Canada, is found in the Reference Collection. There are 3 sets of "NUC's" --
  • Pre-1956 Imprints, listing books printed before 1956
  • Supplement to the Pre-1956 Imprints, listing books printed before 1956 which were not listed in the Pre-1956 Imprints
  • 1956-1967 Imprints, listing books published from 1956 until 1967
• Books published after 1968 to the present can be found in the SUS Catalog and FirstSearch, both available in WebLUIS.
• Union catalogs, which list materials owned by a library on a specific subject or by groups of libraries on one or more subjects, can be found in the FIU Libraries in print format and microform. Visit the Union Catalogs in Print and Microform web guide to assist you with your research and citation verification needs.
• For older and/or those difficult-to-find journal, magazine, and newspaper titles, use the Union List of Serials, found in the Reference Department [call number = Z6945 .U45 1956].

How do I submit a request?
All Interlibrary Loan requests, inquiries, and records are available by establishing an Interlibrary Loan account with ILLiad, the online ILL service. Requests by other means (paper, email, etc) are not accepted.

Is there a limit to the number of requests I may submit?
You may submit as many requests at one time as you wish. At least 5 requests per person per day will be processed. More of your requests will be processed only depending upon the overall number of requests received and awaiting processing. You are encouraged to prioritize your requests in the order by which you wish them processed. Contact ILL if you have any questions.

What type of materials are available through ILL?
Books, photocopied articles, some theses and dissertations, some audio-visual materials, and government documents are some materials available through ILL. Some materials which may be difficult to borrow, impossible to borrow, or are unavailable through ILL include: computer software, entire issues of journals, reference books, rare books and manuscripts, some audio-visual materials, and musical scores. Textbooks required for course study are not provided by Interlibrary Loan. Textbooks should be purchased at the FIU Bookstore.

Is there a cost for using ILL?
Unless contacted, ILL services are free. Some charges from other libraries and document delivery suppliers can be substantially prohibitive. We reserve the right not to process a request under these possible conditions.

Tips for correctly completing an ILL request

• Provide your library card number, located on the reverse of your FIU identification card.
  
• Provide all personal information, including telephone numbers. This information will be kept strictly confidential.
  
• Correctly completed citation information (book, journal, and article titles, authors, dates, pages) will expedite processing.
  
• Provide ISBN numbers for books published after 1970 and ISSN numbers for journals and magazines. These are NOT call numbers, and they help to expedite processing.
• Sign the request form. Without a signature, requests can not be processed.

How to look up ISBN and ISSN numbers in LUIS
ISBN and ISSN numbers are not call numbers. These numers are used by publishers as identification number, and these numbers help the ILL staff to locate your materials faster. Books published prior to 1970 generally do not have ISBN numbers, however.

• Search in the FIU Library Catalog first, then click "change databases" to search in the SUS Catalog for all SUS Libraries.
• Type the title of the book or journal, then make your selection from the choices on the screen.
• Search through the record until you find either the ISBN or ISSN number, and write this number in your ILL form.

Delivery Options

It is our policy to process all requests as quickly as possible. If your need is genuinely urgent, please use one of the terms below on the line within the ILL request form that reads "please deliver on or by". If no specific time is indicated, it is presumed that the material is not needed urgently, but please be assured that the ordering of the request will proceed as quickly as possible.

Rush Requests
Due to the labor intensive and costly nature associated with this service, a maximum of 5 Rush requests per week per person will be accepted. Please limit and prioritize your rush requests to those materials you truely need urgently and within a short period of time. Your requests are important, and a 24-hour turnaround request will be forwarded to potential lending libraries. Rush requests for books are not eligible for this service, but the requests will be processed with all due speed.

Standard Requests
Most requests are processed within 24 to 48 business hour of receipt. Please be aware that some requests may require extensive searching.

Tips for Completing ILL Forms

Need personal assistance?
For assistance with completing ILL forms and other ILL-related questions, please contact an ILL staff member in Room 273 at the University Park Library and at the Circulation Desk at the North Miami Library. For assistance with research and bibliographic verification, Reference Desk staff are available on the Second Floor of the University Park Library and the North Miami Library. Here are some tips:

• Books -- Provide the title, author, and publication date at the very minimum. If you need a specific edition or publisher version, please indicate this.
• Photocopies of Articles -- Provide the periodical title, article author and article title, volume and issue number, date, and page numbers.
• Dissertations and Thesis -- Provide the author, title, date of publication, and school where the dissertation/thesis was granted. Note: many colleges and universities do not allow these materials to be accessed via ILL. You will be notified if this occurs.
• Proceedings, Conferences, Symposiums, and Congresses -- Provide the name of the organization, the name of the meeting OR the name of the work about the meeting, the author and title of the paper, date of publication, and pages.
• Government Documents and Reports -- Before submitting and ILL request, check in BOTH the FIU WeLUIS catalog and go to or telephone the Government Documents Department in the Library. Many government documents are not listed and LUIS but may be owned by the library. You would be able, therefore, to access these materials immediately.

How long does it take to receive materials?
Please allow approximately 2 weeks for your material to arrive. If you wish to submit a rush request, refer to Delivery Options. Every reasonable effort will be made to fulfill your request in the shortest time possible. The time involved in receiving materials depends upon the accuracy of your citation, the availibility of the material, and the location of the lending library.

How do I know that my materials have arrived?
You will receive notification by email -- please remember to provide your email address on all ILL forms (electronic and paper forms). If you do not have email, you may request an email account from FIU's UTS (University Technology Services). If you do not have email, book arrivals will be notified by telephone and will be held for you at the library until the due date assigned by the lending library has been reached; photocopied articles are mailed whenever possible only to campus addresses, otherwise notification will be made by telephone and the article will be held for you at the library. Materials may be picked up at the following campus locations:

• Green Library, University Park Campus -- Circulation Desk, 2nd Floor
• Biscayne Bay Campus Library -- Circulation Desk, 1st Floor

Are renewals possible?
Books obtained through Interlibrary Loan are not owned by the FIU Library, and the lending library has the right to deny a renewal request, grant a renewal request, or recall the book before the due date. (We have the same right, in the opposite direction.) Before contacting the ILL Office to request a renewal, you will need to look at the yellow band wrapped onto the book. If the "Renewal not allowed" section is check-marked, a renewal request is not possible. If this section is not check-marked, a renewal is not guaranteed, and we will submit a request if you contact the ILL Office at least 5 business days before the due date listed on the yellow band. Sufficient time will be needed for the lending library to decide about your renewal request. If the renewal request is denied, the book must be returned on the original due date. Since the FIU Library does not own the book, we have no jurisdiction over lending libraries' due dates.

Fines for overdue books
Overdue and/or lost-book fines will be assessed on all books borrowed through ILL at the same rate as fines assessed on FIU-owned books. Excessive numbers of overdue ILL books may result in the blocking of library cards and further use of the ILL service. Unpaid and/or unreturned ILL books will prohibit registration and graduation until the fine has been paid or the book has been returned.

Why aren't FIU Alumni eligible for ILL service?
Because the purpose of ILL in an academic library is one of research and instructional support for faculty and enrolled students. Please contact the nearest public library for assistance.

Does it really take ILL 2 weeks to process my order and get my material?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The ILL staff will enter your request into the computer quickly. Then, we have to wait for a library to process your request. The delivery time depends upon the library that is trying to fulfill your request, whether or not they are able to supply the material you need, and how quickly they can send it.

If there is a library that owns what I want, why won't they lend it?
There are many, valid reasons as to why libraries will not loan materials which they own. Sometimes when the staff in another library go to the shelf to get the material you need, it may not be there. The book may be checked out or missing The journal issue may also be absent from the shelf, missing, or at the bindery. Also, some libraries will not loan materials which they consider to be valuable or needed by their patrons on a regular basis. The FIU Library also restricts the lending of certain materials to other libraries -- computer software, valuable books, etc. -- so this policy is not unusual but it is frustrating for the researcher.

Location and Contact Information
Green Library, University Park Campus	Biscayne Bay Campus Library
Room 273, Second Floor (Library's Main Floor)	Circulation Desk First Floor
Telephone: 305-348-4054 Send an email to Green Library	Telephone: 305-919-5715 Send an email to Biscayne Bay Library
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