ILL Frequently Asked Questions
Please Choose A Question From the List Below:
1. What is ILL? What is ILLiad?
2. Who can use ILLiad?
3. When should I use ILLiad?
4. What may be requested via ILLiad?
5. Can I Borrow Textbooks through ILLiad?
6. How do I make an ILLiad request?
7. How Many Requests Can I Make?
8. How long does it take for my requests to arrive?
9. How Much does it Cost?
10. What Fees or Fines Might I Have to Pay?
11. Where do I pick up my ILLiad item when it arrives?
12. What is the lending period for an item requested via ILLiad?
13. Can I renew an ILLiad item?
14. What if I cannot renew an ILLiad item?
15. What if I have an overdue ILLiad item? What if my ILLiad item is recalled by the lending library?
16. Can I have ILLiad items mailed to me?
17. I’ve forgotten my ILLiad username: what should I do?
18. I’ve forgotten my ILLiad password: what should I do?
1. What is ILL? What is ILLiad?
Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a service by which materials not available at Gumberg Library can be borrowed from another lending source for a short-term loan period. ILL supports the teaching, learning, and research needs of Duquesne’s students, faculty, and staff in keeping with Duquesne University’s Spiritan identity and commitment to excellence in liberal and professional education. The Interlibrary Loan Department supports that scholarship and research by always attempting to obtain research materials for users in the fastest and most cost-effective manner.
ILLiad is the interface through which DU affiliates place requests for ILL materials. ILLiad is not an overnight, on-demand document delivery system. ILLiad is also not the same as EZBorrow. For quicker turn-around time borrowing books, try EZBorrow. ILLiad should be the first option for requesting journal articles that are not available either in print or electronically from Gumberg Library. You should not rely on ILLiad for your textbooks, as ILLiad will not provide books for long-term loan periods.
2. Who can use ILLiad?
DU students, faculty, staff, and affiliated Spiritans may use ILLiad. You must be in good standing, have a valid Duquesne University ID card, and provide a valid Duquesne University email address. If you are a Distance Learner, please see information on the Distance Learners Page.
3. When should I use ILLiad?
Use ILLiad to request items (especially articles) not available in the Gumberg Library catalog, DuCat, or when not available through EZBorrow.
4. What may be requested via ILLiad?
We will try to borrow almost any item that is not available at the Gumberg Library. Most commonly requested materials are:
- Journal articles
- Books
- Theses/dissertations
- Book chapters
However, be aware that we frequently have trouble borrowing the following:
- Rare or fragile books
- Multi-volume sets
- Non-circulating materials
- Conference proceedings
- Papers & reports
- Bound or single-issue periodicals
- Computer software
- Audio visual materials
- Material on microfiche or film
5. Can I Borrow Textbooks through ILLiad?
You should not rely on ILLiad for your textbooks. It is difficult to find a library which owns or will lend a textbook, so it is unlikely we will be able to fill your request. Even if we succeed in borrowing your textbook, you will not be able to keep it for the entire semester.
6. How do I make an ILLiad request?
You must first have an ILLiad account. The place to start is the First Time Users Page. Click on the “First Time Users Click Here” button at the bottom of the page and fill out the information on the resulting form. (Remember to make a note of your username and password!) Once you have set up an ILLiad account for yourself and/or logged in to ILLiad, click on the type of request you would like to make from the list under “New Request” on the left-hand side of the page. Fill in as much information about the item as you can—the more information you provide, the easier (and quicker!) it will be to find your item and get it to you. Once you have finished filling in the request form, click on the “Submit Request” button at the bottom of the page.
If you need help creating an ILLiad account or submitting an ILLiad request, please contact the Gumberg Library Reference Desk at 412-396-6133 or the Interlibrary Loan Department at 412-396-5341.
7. How Many Requests Can I Make?
When possible, you should limit your requests to ten per day. We reserve the right to establish priorities of service in instances where the number of requests received from a single person might adversely affect the service we offer to others.
8. How long does it take for my requests to arrive?
ILLiad requests can take 10 to 14 business days to fill. Rare or hard-to-find requests may take longer. Please note that the Interlibrary Loan Department is closed over holidays and University breaks and this may delay the processing of your request(s).
9. How Much does it Cost?
Gumberg Library absorbs most fees charged by other libraries for supplying materials via ILLiad. The average cost of a completed interlibrary loan request is $28, not including additional lending fees charged by lending libraries (often $15 to $20 per request). Therefore, we ask that you carefully consider your need for any item that you request. You will be responsible for any fines or fees that we get charged by the lending library for late, damaged, or lost items.
The library pays reasonable copyright fees for requests in compliance with the University Copyright Policy. The library reserves the right to limit the amount spent for copyright payments based on a.) the availability of funds; b.) the availability of alternate information sources acceptable to you; and c.) the urgency of your need for the requested item(s). If no acceptable alternate source is available and if the library is unable to pay the full cost, you will have the opportunity to share the cost. These decisions will be made on a case by case basis by the Resource Sharing Librarian in consultation with library administration as necessary.
10. What Fees or Fines Might I Have to Pay?
Most often there are no fees for this service. However, in the event that an item is lost or damaged, you are responsible for replacement and/or repair costs, including any associated processing fees and surcharges assessed by the lending library. We expect ILLiad users to promptly pay any fines and/or replacement costs arising from their requests. Should you lose or damage an ILLiad item, contact the Interlibrary Loan Department at 412-396-5341 or illservice@duq.edu immediately.
We try to obtain items at no cost. If we must use a commercial document supplier, the Interlibrary Loan Department will contact you with the cost to get your authorization before ordering an item. If you decide to have us order the item, you will pay the full cost of articles purchased from commercial document delivery suppliers. Currently we use commercial document suppliers only when articles are not available from a library or when copyright royalties must be paid for a title that is not registered with the Copyright Clearance Center.
11. Where do I pick up my ILLiad item when it arrives?
Books: When your ILLiad request is available, we send an email to your Duquesne email address and the item(s) will be available immediately for pick-up at the Gumberg Library Circulation Desk. You should pick up items as soon as possible.
Articles: We send an email to your Duquesne email address when your article has arrived. We will deliver the article to you electronically if the library can obtain the article in electronic format and if you have selected electronic delivery as your preference when you registered for ILLiad. To receive articles electronically you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 4.0 or higher) installed on your computer. Otherwise, articles will be held at the Circulation Desk for pick-up.
12. What is the lending period for an item requested via ILLiad?
The lending library determines the lending period, and the length of that time varies. We print the due date on the ILLiad band around the item.
13. Can I renew an ILLiad item?
In many cases, yes. Look at the ILLiad band to see if the lending library allows a renewal. If you see “NO RENEWALS” in bold red letters on the ILLiad band, the item cannot be renewed. When this indication is not there, you should be able to renew the item using your ILLiad account or by calling the Interlibrary Loan Department at 412-396-5341. Please have the item’s transaction number (TN#) available.
14. What if I cannot renew an ILLiad item?
If you have a “non-renewable” item and still need an additional period of time, you must submit a new ILLiad request for the item approximately one week before the item’s due date. It is important to indicate in the ILLiad Notes Field of your request that this is a “replacement request.” When the replacement item arrives, you will exchange the original item for the replacement item.
15. What if I have an overdue ILLiad item? What if my ILLiad item is recalled by the lending library?
If you foresee difficulty returning ILLiad materials on time, it is extremely important to call the ILL department as soon as possible at 412-396-5341 to discuss your options. Overdue ILLiad item(s) may cause suspension of your library privileges, billing for the replacement cost of the item(s), and/or delays in registration or receiving grades and transcripts.
Occasionally lending libraries need to recall items they have loaned before the due date for use by their own library users. Recalled items must be returned to us so that we can send them back to the lending library immediately. You must return a recalled item even when it is recalled prior to the due date. Failure to comply could jeopardize your library privileges and cause your account to be charged. If you still need a recalled item, you should submit a new ILLiad request, with an indication in the ILLiad Notes Field that this is a “replacement request.”
16. Can I have ILLiad items mailed to me?
No. The mailing option is only available to Distance Learners.
17. I’ve forgotten my ILLiad username: what should I do?
If you have forgotten your ILLiad username, please call the Interlibrary Loan Department at 412-396-5341. You will need to provide your 16 digit Duquesne University ID number. Note: Please do not register again!!
18. I’ve forgotten my ILLiad password: what should I do?
If you have forgotten your ILLiad password, log on to your ILLiad account with your username, click on the “Reset” password button, and follow the directions noted at top of the page or call the Interlibrary Loan department at 412-396-5341 for assistance. Note: Please do not register again!!