Interlibrary Loan FAQ

Who may use Interlibrary Loan? 

UC faculty, staff, and currently registered students. A valid UC Irvine library card is required. Requests for instructional and research purposes only will be honored. All non-UC users should contact their local public library, workplace library, or the ILL unit of their college or university for interlibrary loan privileges. 

Non-UC affiliates with a valid UC library card may request materials which are at the Southern Regional Storage Facility (SRLF) a high-density library shelving facility on the UCLA campus. Please see Check Out Desk staff for assistance. 

What can I request on Interlibrary Loan? 

Books, journal articles, and materials that are not available at UCI or are missing/checked out. 

Materials that may not be borrowed through ILL include

  • Course reserve items
  • Textbooks
  • Microforms
  • Electronic journal articles
If an electronic and print version are both available for borrowing through ILL, we will request the electronic version.

How long does it take to receive materials?

  • Libraries within the UC system take approximately 5 - 10 working days
  • Libraries outside of the UC system can take longer than 3 weeks

It’s very important to plan ahead when submitting your requests; the time it takes to receive your material depends on many factors.                                                                    

How will I know when my requests have arrived? 

You will be notified by email when ILL material is available for pickup at the Check Out desk of the Langson, Ayala Science or Grunigen Medical Library.  If your ILL item is not picked up within 14 days, it will be returned to the lending library.

Your account in My ILL Requests will display the status of the Interlibrary Loan request as RECEIVED after it has been processed. 

Document Delivery Service will deliver items received through Interlibrary Loan to the department offices of eligible UCI faculty, graduate students, and administrative staff, unless the material is restricted to use in the library.  Please verify that you have the correct item when your books are picked up or delivered.

How much will this cost me? 

Free loans and copies are available from other UC’s, Stanford (excluding Lane Medical Library), Center for Research Libraries, and some reciprocal academic loan partners. 

Fees for book loans and copies from schools that charge UCI are subsidized up to $50 per transaction for faculty, staff, and graduate students. Requests by honors undergraduates and materials for senior theses are also subsidized. If there is a fee, requests will not be placed without your approval.

You are responsible for any charges for overdue and billed books, which, if charged by the lending library, may include a non-refundable billing fee for books that are returned late. For more information, see Fines and Fees.

Are there any restrictions on Interlibrary Loan materials? 

The lending library, not the UCI Libraries, determines the conditions regarding the use of their materials.

  • Some materials may be restricted to “Library Use Only”
  • All media is restricted to "Library Use Only"
  • Microfilm or microfiche loan will be held at the Ayala Science Library.
  • Some items may not be photocopied and must be used in Langson Library’s Special Collections & Archives during public service hours.
  • Items borrowed cannot be placed on Course Reserves for UCI classes. An exception: Material stored at the UC SRLF (Southern Regional Library Facility) or NRLF (Northern Regional Library Facility) may be placed on Course Reserves.
  • Some items may come with short due dates, sometimes as little as a week, please check the due date on your item carefully.
  • It can take several days to verify renewals with the lending libraries
  • Some libraries may not permit renewals

How do I return an ILL? 

Borrowed materials should be returned on or before the due date to any of the UCI Libraries’ check out desks or in the bookdrop. Please leave the bookbands on the items so they are clearly marked as ILL materials.  Please remove any and all post-its, bookmarks or other notes from the book before returning the item.

Document Delivery Service users may schedule a pickup using the Document Delivery Service Pickup Request Form, calling 949.824.4364, or emailing dds@uci.edu
 

How do I renew ILL items via My ILL requests? 
  • Please request renewals about 1 week before the due date to allow the lending library time to review the request.
  • Use My ILL Requests to request renewals.
  • If the items are not listed in My ILL Requests, please email or call the phone number on the book band of the material you want to renew. Provide your name and the “ILL#” from the book band to request your renewal.
  • The lending library will either approve the request and extend the due date, or refuse to renew the material.
  • You will be notified via email if your renewal request was denied.
  • If your renewal request was approved the due date will change in My ILL Requests.
  • If your renewal reqeust was denied please return your item as soon as possible so as not to jeopardize our relationship with the other library.

What happens if my ILL materials are overdue? 

You are responsible for your ILL materials.

  • If they are overdue, Library privileges may be blocked until you return the items and pay any fines charged by the lending library.
  • You will be charged for seriously overdue or lost items.

Failure to return materials on time jeopardizes our borrowing privileges with other libraries.

Why was my ILL request cancelled? 

We will notify you by email if your ILL request was cancelled. While there are many reasons why an ILL request might be cancelled the most common are:

  • The item requested is available at the UCI Libraries. If the item is missing, contact a Check Out Desk to find out how to request a search for a missing item and then resubmit your request with a note to us.
  • The materials have been placed on Course Reserves.
  • The item is a textbook and is available for sale at the UCI Bookstore.
  • The item is non-circulating (cannot be checked out) and is unavailable for loan from the owning libraries.
  • Materials that cannot be obtained often include:
    • Periodical volumes, particularly those less than five years old
    • Reference books
    • Non-print material such as videotapes, CD’s, sound recordings
    • Extremely old books
    • Rare or valuable material housed in Special Collections
    • Genealogical material
    • New books, especially “popular reading”
  • The item has been recently published or acquired by the lending library. We suggest you resubmit your request at a later date (1-2 months is recommended).
  • ILL was unable to find the item as cited in the original request. We suggest that you verify the citation, confer with the ILL staff, and initiate a new request if the item is still needed.
  • If you specified a “need-by” date and the deadline cannot be met, ILL will notify you and cancel the request. We suggest you initiate a new request if the item is still needed.
How long can I use my ILL materials?

The lending library sets the loan period and may also set special conditions on the use of ILL materials.  In general:

  • Materials may be borrowed for at least two weeks.
  • UCI faculty and graduate students may use most UC materials for one quarter.
  • Photocopies are yours to keep.
  • The lending library sets the due dates, and some items may be kept for as little as a week.

Items checked out on the same day may have different due dates, please check due dates carefully.

What is Desktop Delivery? 

Desktop delivery is a service provided to ILL users when available. Journal article or book chapter requests are scanned and posted to a secure web server. The scanned item can be from the UCI Libraries or from another lending library.  You will be notified via email when your article has been placed on the web server for you to retrieve. Copyright applies to the materials posted to the web server. You can also access your article through My ILL Requests.


Can I check on the status of my requests via My ILL Requests? 

Log in to My ILL Requests to determine the status of a request or the due date for borrowed materials. Your account in My ILL Requests will display the status of the interlibrary loan request. Status messages include:
 
  • PENDING / IN PROCESS: Your request has been received and is in the process of being fulfilled.
  • SHIPPED:  The lending library has shipped the item to UCI.
  • RECEIVED:  The requested item has been received by the UCI ILL unit. You will receive an email notification within 2-3 business days when the item is ready for pickup.
  • RENEWAL PENDING: A renewal request has been sent to the lending library and we are waiting for a response.
  • RECALLED: The item has been recalled by the lending library and should be returned to a Check Out Desk promptly.
  • RETURNED:  The item has been shipped back to the lending library. This status will display until the lending library updates the status of the request to complete.
  • COMPLETE: The lending library has acknowledged receipt of the returned item. The ILL transaction is now complete.
  • CONDITIONAL:  A potential supplier has asked the UCI ILL unit for additional information or for our acceptance of any special loan conditions.
  • CANCELLED:  The requested item is no longer needed. 
  • LOST:  The item has been reported lost.
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