Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan FAQs

What is an interlibrary loan?
What is ILLiad?
Who can use this service?
What can be borrowed?
Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?
What if I forget my password?
What Web browser should I use?
Are there any extra charges?
How long does it take for my materials to arrive?
How do I know when my interlibrary loan has arrived?
Where do I pick up my articles and books?
How long can I keep book loans?
What services do I get if I'm an eLearning student?
Who do I contact if I have any questions?

What is an interlibrary loan?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service used to provide journal articles, books, and other library materials not owned by the ODU Library, not available full-text in a database, or not available through OhioLINK.

What is ILLiad?

It is the electronic system you use to request an item through interlibrary loan. ILLiad is an acronym for InterLibrary Loan Internet accessible database. Requested articles are delivered electronically in PDF format to your personal ILLiad account and you can monitor the status of your requests.

Who can use this service?

All current faculty, staff, and students of Ohio Dominican University are eligible for borrowing privileges from ILL services. Community members, business associates, and alumni are kindly referred to their local public library, corporate library, or the State Library of Ohio for ILL services. Access to ILLiad may be denied if a patron consistently abuses interlibrary loan privileges.

First time users are required to set up an account in ILLiad before placing requests.

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What can be borrowed?

Copies of articles from journals that the ODU Library doesn't already have in print, or full-text articles not available electronically are the most commonly requested items. Books that are not available in the ODU Library's collection or in OhioLINK may also be borrowed through interlibrary loan. It is against library policy to borrow textbooks.

There are some items that usually cannot be borrowed through interlibrary loan. Typically these are non-circulating materials such as reference books, reserve items, fragile books, or materials found in special collections. Videos, DVDs, and CDs may also be difficult to obtain as many libraries have policies against sending out audiovisual materials through ILL. Dissertations may be difficult to obtain due to limited distribution, but significant excerpts are generally available free of charge through through Dissertation Abstracts (ProQuest Dissertations & Theses).

Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?

Your username and password allows us to give you secure access to information about your interlibrary loan requests. We can also enable you to edit your personal information such as your address or phone number.

Your username can be anything you like, such as your name, abbreviations, or an alphanumeric code. Your password also can be anything you like. We recommend that you follow good security practice and choose a password that is different from those you use to access other systems. However, no one but you will know your password, not even the library staff. The password you set is stored in an encrypted file.

What if I forget my password?

In the event that you forget your password, please contact the ODU Library's Interlibrary Loan Office at illservices@ohiodominican.edu or phone (614) 251-4637. We can then reset your password allowing you access to ILLiad. Please change your password once you logon to ILLiad.

What Web browser should I use?

You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferrably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We recommend the current versions of either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

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Are there any extra charges?

The ODU Library is dedicated to providing the services of interlibrary loan free of any charges to the current students, faculty, and staff of the college. However, if ILL items are returned late, damaged, or not at all, patrons may be subjected to overdue or replacement charges upon notification.

For difficult to obtain or rush items that require a document delivery supplier, charges may be applied to the patron's library record. Before committing to a loan that would require a charge to your account, ODU's Interlibrary Loan Services will contact you first for your permission to proceed with the request.

How long does it take for my materials to arrive?

The average delivery time for articles is 4 days. However, articles can be delivered as soon as 2 days or take up to 10 days, depending on whether the lending library is able to send the requested article electronically. Books usually arrive in about 10 business days.

How do I know when my Interlibrary Loan has arrived?

You will receive an email message sent to your ODU email account.

Where do I pick up my articles and books?

In most cases, you can access your articles electronically by logging into your ILLiad account. If an article cannot be scanned into the ILLiad system, it will be available for you to pick up at the Circulation Services Desk in Spangler Learning Center, where you can also pick up your ILL book loans.

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How long can I keep book loans?

The due date depends on the policies of the library that owns the item. The date will be clearly marked on the item.

What services do I get if I'm an eLearning student?

See our page on eLearning.

Who do I contact if I have any questions?

You may email Interlibrary Loan Services at illservices@ohiodominican.edu at any time, or call (614) 251-4637 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Copyright Compliance: Ohio Dominican University Library adheres to the National Interlibrary Loan Code of the American Library Association. The Copyright Law of the U.S. and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the U.S. Code governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order, if in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.