Request a Book Not at Illinois

When attempting to find books, you can imagine the options available to you as a series of concentric circles:

The universe of books available to Illinois students and staff

 

The basic idea is to start in the center with the Illinois catalog, and then work your way out until you find what you need. Watch a video on how to locate books at Illinois. Here are the steps:

1. VERIFYING THAT A BOOK ISN'T AVAILABLE AT ILLINOIS

If you haven't already done so, the first step is to confirm that Illinois doesn't have a copy of the book you need. You can do this using the online catalog (see tips on finding specific books).

>> Watch a video on how to locate items that are not at Illinois.

2. REQUESTING A BOOK THROUGH I-SHARE

If the book you need isn't available at Illinois (it's either checked out, lost, or we just don't own it), the next step is to check I-Share, a shared catalog for 80+ academic libraries throughout Illinois (you may also see these libraries referred to as "ILCSO" or "CARLI"). There are two methods for searching the I-Share catalog:

Following links from Illinois catalog

If you look up a book in the Illinois catalog, you will often find that Illinois owns a copy, but it's checked out. In these cases, you will see a Find copies in other I-Share libraries link next to the book's status:

  arrows pointing to 'Repeat search in I-share'

 

Clicking this link will show you which other libraries in the I-Share catalog own the title, and whether it's available at any of them.

Similarly, if your search in the Illinois catalog doesn't turn up anything at all, you can re-run the search in the I-Share catalog by clicking the Repeat search in the I-Share catalog link:

  Re-running search in all I-share libraries

 

Directly searching the I-Share catalog

You can also search the I-Share catalog directly. The procedure for searching this catalog is the same as for searching the Illinois catalog (see tips on finding specific books).

Placing the request

Once you've located the book you need, you're ready to place your request.

  1. Verify that a copy is available at one or more libraries:
    Arrows pointing to 'available' in other libraries
  2. Click the Request button in the menu bar at the top of the page:
    Arrow pointing to 'Request' button
  3. Enter your library ID (the 20111- number on your i-card) and last name, and click Login.
    Logging in to place a request
  4. On the next screen, select your home library and click OK to confirm your request for the first available copy. (The system randomly selects an available copy.)
  5. On the next screen, re-enter your library ID number. You can also specify which library on campus you would like the book sent to. By default, it will be sent to the Central Access Services desk on the 2nd floor of the Main Library. (If you are a faculty member or graduate student, you can also select "Illinois Campus Mail" to have the book sent to your office address.)
  6. Click Submit Request.

Books usually take about 7-10 days to arrive, and you will receive an email at your Illinois.edu address when your request is available for pickup. This service is free for Illinois students and staff.

3. INTERLIBRARY LOAN: REQUESTING A BOOK NOT AVAILABLE THROUGH I-SHARE

In rare cases, you won't be able to find a book in either the Illinois catalog or the I-Share catalog. When this happens, you can request the book through Interlibrary Loan.

>> Watch a video on how to request materials through Interlibrary Loan.

There are two methods for placing interlibrary loan requests:

WorldCat requests

You can place interlibrary loan requests directly through WorldCat, a shared catalog for thousands of libraries throughout the world. Once you locate the item you need in WorldCat, click the Request a Loan link:

The Request a Loan link in WorldCat

You'll then be prompted to enter your NetID and Active Directory password. A form will pop up with all the details for the book already filled in; just click Submit Request to ILLiad.

Interlibrary Loan Book Request Form

You can also request books by filling out a form on the Interlibrary Loan page. From the main page, click Login to My Account:

Logging into your account on the Interlibrary Loan page

You'll then be prompted for your NetID and Active Directory password. Every student and faculty member has an ILLiad account set up for them, you only need to login. On the next screen, click Request a Book and fill in the necessary details.

Important things to know about interlibrary loan requests:

NEED ADDITIONAL HELP?

Are you looking for a particular article that isn't available at Illinois? If you need more help finding any kind of item, please Ask A Librarian .