Interlibrary Loan

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Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service through which materials not owned by the library are borrowed from other libraries for use by current Wilson students, faculty, and staff.

Requesting Materials

  • InterLibrary Loan Request Form
  • Complete the form. Please fill out as much information as possible to ensure that there are no delays in ordering.
  • Depending on overall interlibrary loan demand, all of your requests may not be placed immediately. If you are requesting more than 5 items, please prioritize by number which items you would like to be requested first.
  • There are two types of materials you can request: articles (journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles) and books (including other physical items like DVDs).

Note on Publisher Restrictions
Publisher restrictions and content embargos (typically 1 year to 18 months) may limit what journal articles can be provided to us by lending libraries. If a requested article is under embargo a staff member will reach out to you.

Example: A journal volume published in July 2016 may have a one year embargo on lending articles. That would mean that the lending library cannot lend articles from that volume until July 2017.

Who do I contact to track my ILL, or if I have a question?

Questions can be directed to books[at]wilson[dot]edu or via phone at: (717) 262-2008

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the typical turnaround time?

Articles: 3-7 business days, usually.

Books: 7-14 business days, but some requests can take as long as 6-8 weeks depending on availability and shipping speed.

How are InterLibrary Loans delivered?

Articles: sent electronically (as a PDF attachment) to the email address provided in the request

Books: available for pickup at the 1st floor circulation desk in the library. Notification for pickup will be sent to the email address provided in the request.

How long do I get to keep my ILL item?

Articles: there is no loan period; you can keep that PDF forever

Books: loan periods vary according to the lending library. Most loans are at least 4 weeks. The due date will be specified on the ILL sticker on the front of the book. If you need more time, ask a library staff member for a renewal - we cannot guarantee renewals for ILL items, but we can ask the lending library if they're willing to give you more time.

How do I return my ILL items?

Articles: no need for returns.

Books: need to be returned to the 1st floor circulation desk in the library by the due date specified on the ILL sticker on the front of the book.

Are there any fees?

Generally, no! Your use of ILL has already been paid for as part of your college tuition, and most articles and books can be obtained at no cost to you. In the rare case that there are no lending libraries available or there are additional fees, library staff will reach out to discuss your options prior to processing the request.

Are there any restrictions?

Copyright restrictions limit the number of articles that can be borrowed from a single journal. They also limit the amount of photocopying that can be done from a single resource.

All ILL materials are for personal use only and they cannot be placed in the Canvas classroom or on course reserve (again due to U.S. copyright law).

Course materials (like textbooks) cannot be borrowed at all. If you need a textbook for a course, it can be purchased through the Wilson College eCampus website, or talk to your professor.