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Get Stuff from Other Libraries

Who can use this service?

Current UW-Green Bay students, staff, faculty, and emeritus faculty may use the interlibrary loan (ILL) service for free. Community patrons are not eligible, but they can usually place ILL requests for free through their local public library.

Does it cost anything?

Most materials are available for free to UW-Green Bay students, staff, faculty, and emeritus faculty. However, please be aware that there are costs associated for many requests that your local library covers (e.g., postage). If there would be an excess charge for an item, you will be contacted about the fee (usually $10-$30) and asked for approval before the request is filled.

What can I request?

You can request many types of items, including articles, book chapters, books, CDs and DVDs. However, some items can be more difficult to get than others, including textbooks, conference proceeding papers, dissertations, major motion pictures, best sellers, and study guide/test preparation manuals. Additionally, archival material, rare books, reference works, entire issues of periodicals and e-books are usually not available through ILL.

How many requests can I place?

There are no limits to the number of requests you can place or items you can check out. However, if numerous quantities of requests are received at the same time, it may slow down processing time.

How can I check on the status of my request?

For requests placed in Search@UW: Log in to My Library Account. You will see a list of your outstanding requests.

For requests placed in ILLiad: Log in to your Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) account. The homepage shows your outstanding requests, as well as electronically received articles and checked out items.

How long does it take for an item to arrive?

For articles or book chapters requested in ILLiad: Approximately 1-3 business days

For books or other physical materials requested in Search@UW: Approximately 3-5 business days.

For books or other physical materials requested in ILLiad: Approximately 5-8 business days

How will I know when my items are available?

A notification will be sent to your UW-Green Bay email address.

How long do I have to pick up my items?

You should pick up physical materials within 10 days, otherwise they will be sent back to the lending library. Your notification email will have the exact date the hold will expire.

You must download articles received in ILLiad within 30 days.

Can I renew these items?

For items requested in Search@UW: Yes, as long as the item isn't requested or recalled. Books can be renewed twice by undergraduate students and three times by faculty, staff, and graduate students. CDs and DVDs can typically be renewed once. To renew your items, log in to My Library Account.

For items requested through ILLiad: Usually, yes. Lending libraries normally allow one renewal for an additional 2-4 weeks. You must request a renewal prior to the item due date or it will be denied by the lending library. Request renewals using your ILLiad account.

Where do I return my items?

You can return items directly to any UW-Green Bay library or UW System library. If you return interlibrary loan items to another UW System library, please email interloan@uwgb.edu to let us know.

Electronic materials do not need to be returned, will only be available in ILLiad for 30 days.

What if the items are lost or damaged?

For items requested in Search@UW: Most lost or damaged items will be billed at the standard UW System replacement cost of $100. Depending on the specific item, the replacement cost could vary and additional processing fees might apply. For students, the charges will be added to your SIS account.

For items requested in ILLiad: Lost or damaged items are subject to replacement and other applicable fees levied by the lending library. For students, the charges will be added to your SIS account. If you return the item after your account was charged, you will not receive a refund as most libraries will not issue reimbursements.

Can I request textbooks through interlibrary loan?

You can try to request a textbook, but there are several limitations. Many libraries do not purchase current textbooks, and if they do, they often reserve them for their own students. Interlibrary loan periods for books that are not available in Search@UW are short (about one month), and they can usually only be renewed once.