Interlibrary Loan

What is Interlibrary Loan?         

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a way for you to get the materials you need for your research, whether those materials are in our library or not.

How does it work?

You place a request using the Request Articles or Request Books tabs above.  We request your item from other libraries across the country (and sometimes internationally!)  When your item comes to the library, we send you an e-mail that either has item as an attachment (for journal articles) or lets you know that your item is ready for pick up (for books, audiocassettes, etc).

The Greenlease Library uses cooperative borrowing agreements through a variety of delivery systems to provide materials beyond our own collection.  Some of those delivery systems are OCLC, MOBIUS, and DOCLINE.

Who can use this service?

Current Rockhurst students, faculty, and staff are eligible to participate in ILL, including those from Research College of Nursing. Rockhurst University Faculty Emeriti are also entitled to ILL privileges.

Unfortunately, at this time services are not available to Alumni, Regents, Trustees, or Friends of Rockhurst University Library members.  If you have overdue items or outstanding overdue fees your ILL privileges may be revoked.

How long does it take for delivery?

Delivery time varies. Delivery for an article request is about 3-7 business days and a book/DVD request may take up to 14 business days for delivery.  Delivery time can be longer depending upon the lending library. We will do everything we can to be sure that you receive your request as quickly as possible, however if you have a rush request, please contact the Access and Learning Services Librarian to discuss options.  

What can I request?

Books, journal articles, government documents, and audiocassettes can be borrowed through ILL.

Videos, dissertations, theses and other materials are more difficult to obtain as they are usually not available through ILL systems, although we can always try!

Contact the Access & Learning Services Librarian by e-mail or phone (816-501-4121) if you have any questions.

How much does it cost?

At this time, the library is absorbing the cost of articles, books and audiocassettes.  If the cost to the library is over $10, you will be notified of the charges and the request will not go ahead without your consent. This keeps the costs down for the library. 

Orders will not be placed for patrons whose library accounts have overdue fines or fees.

What about renewals and overdue fees?

Renewals for Interlibrary Loan items are dependent on the lending institution.  Requests for renewal must be done before the due date. Call the Interlibrary Loan department at 816-501-4121 to request a renewal.

Interlibrary Loan material kept past the due date can be subject to a $1.00 per day overdue fine. No additional materials may be checked out of the Greenlease Library, other MOBIUS libraries or other Interlibrary Loan libraries until the fine is paid. This policy applies to all Interlibrary Loan borrowers.

What is a "Closed" Journal?

Guidelines for Interlibrary Loan help librarians make sure that in the course of requesting material for use by their patrons, that Copyright laws are not violated. Provisions make it possible to get copies of some materials, but there are limitations. The most common limitation is when the library staff receives requests for copies of articles from the same periodical title. To adhere to accepted guidelines, the library staff will not order more than five articles from the same periodical title published within five years of the date of the request. This means that occasionally we have to temporarily "close" a title for a year because we have met the cap on the number of articles that can be ordered.

I've placed a request.  Why am I getting an email message from no-reply@wufoo?

We are currently using Wufoo as our ILL request service.  It is completely safe and secure, and your data is only available to library staff.  The email message is coming directly from the library. You can actually reply to the no-reply e-mail and your reply will be redirected to the Interlibrary Loan department.