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Interlibrary Loan

Who?

Who may use Interlibrary Loan?

  • BW Faculty and Staff
  • Registered BW students
  • Other libraries requesting our materials

What?

What materials can be requested through ILL?

  • Books
  • CDs and DVDs
  • Music Scores
  • Journal and Periodical Articles
  • Portion of some ebooks

What cannot be requested?

  • Textbooks
  • Equipment
  • Psychological and educational tests
  • Archival materials and Rare books
  • Entire issues of journals and periodicals
  • Software

Where?

Where do I go to receive materials I've requested?

Physical items (books, DVDs, etc.) must be picked up at Ritter Library's Information Desk during staffed hours.

Articles will generally be distributed electronically to your BW email.

When?

When can I use ILL?

ILL requests can be made for items we do not own or have access to through our database subscriptions and consortial memberships.  Please do not request items without first checking to see if we own it!  You can check for books here.  Check for articles here (enter the journal title). 

You may also submit article requests directly from our databases if you see this icon: Three 3 pieces of paper

You can submit your requests anytime, but Ritter Library staff only process requests during our "staffed" hours with the exception of 30 minutes after opening and 30 minutes before closing.

How much?

How much does ILL cost?

While there costs associated with ILL services, Ritter Library absorbs those costs on behalf of our BW patrons.  We reserve the right to limit how much we will spend to obtain an item.

How long?

How long does it take?

Article requests generally take 2 - 4 days but can occasionally take longer.  Articles found only in print format need to be scanned and that will take longer than articles found in electronic format.  Items being mailed will take at least 3 business days after the item leaves the lending library before it will be ready for pick-up.  There are a variety of factors which come into play, so we are never able to make promises regarding length of time. Our goal, however, is to get you your materials as quickly as possible given the constraints of the process.

How long can I keep something?

Loan periods are determined by the lending library, but generally are around 3 weeks for books.  You may contact us if you think you need to renew your item; renewals are granted by the lending library only.  Articles sent via Article Exchange MUST be accessed within 30 days of the date the link is sent.  Articles not accessed within 30 days of the link being sent will be purged.  After the link is first accessed, you have 60 days to access the article.  We will not re-request an article if a patron does access, download or  save it in the time frame specified.