Your superpower is: Interlibrary Loan!

Dear Readers,

Have you ever found the perfect book or article for your research only to find out that Drew Library doesn’t own it? Despite the number of resources available in Drew’s Libraries, it’s impossible for any one library to have everything.

But just because Drew doesn’t own an item doesn’t mean we can’t get it for you. That’s where interlibrary loan (ILL) comes in! Interlibrary loan is a service that allows you to request books, articles, and other materials from different libraries around the world. Lauren Levinson, Drew Library's Head of Access Services (pictured), has penned this blogpost and created a video to introduce Drew Library users to their superpower: interlibray loan!

Placing ILL requests

Check out the video to learn about how to place requests.

Video title: Interlibrary Loan: How to Place Requests (3:39)

To make the most of our interlibrary loan service, make sure to consider these tips:

• Plan ahead. Book requests take an average of 1 to 2 weeks to arrive and article requests take an average of 1 to 2 business days. Placing your requests early means that you’ll have plenty of time to use the materials you requested.

• Keep an eye on your email. We will notify you when an item is available, but will also contact you if we have any questions about a request you placed. The quicker you respond, the quicker we can get you what you need.

• Pay attention to due dates. Since these books are generously loaned by other libraries, each lending library sets their own due dates for books. Please be sure to respect their timeline. If you need an item beyond the original due date, you can request a renewal in your interlibrary loan account or by emailing ill@drew.edu.

• Remember: Pick up and drop off print materials at the Circulation Desk in the Library (photo). 

We realize many students are still learning remotely and may want to request eBooks. When requesting eBooks, please keep the following in mind:

• Make sure to specify in your request that you need an electronic version of the book. There is a note field where you can include this.

• Only a select number of libraries are licensed to lend eBooks through interlibrary loan, so your request may come back unfilled if no licensed lenders are available.

• If your request cannot be filled, consider if there are one or two chapters that you most need. We are much more likely to be able to fill requests for a single chapter.

From where is Drew Library borrowing?

Curious about where the books and articles we borrow come from? Check out the map for clues.

Our top 5 lenders for this academic year so far are Rutgers, Notre Dame, Franklin & Marshall, Roger Williams, and Mount Holyoke.

Outside the US, we’ve had libraries send us materials from Canada, Europe, and Africa.

Source: Drew Library statistics, Academic Year 2021-2022.

Please contact the Library at email: library@drew.edu or reference@drew.edu if you'd like more information about ILL and how it works.

Contributing to this blog post: Lauren Levinson and Margery Ashmun