Interlibrary Loan Services

How to Locate Materials for ILL

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1. Use WorldCat Discovery to search for library materials in the catalog

2. Sources identified as not owned by Goucher will have a Request This Item under Access Options on the right side of the page. 

3. Complete the form when prompted- being sure the fields with an asterisk (*) are populated. You will see that the material information will already be pre-populated in the form. 

4. Click “Submit Request” icon at the bottom of the page to notify the ILL staff of your request. 

 

Borrowing Restrictions

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Interlibrary lending relies on the premise that libraries are willing to share their resources. However, their obligation is to support their local patrons. Therefore, materials such as textbooks, new acquisitions, reference materials, and special collections may not be shared.

Additionally, publishers restrict libraries from sharing entire journal issues, newspapers, or eBooks.

Nonetheless, request what you need. Goucher College Library may purchase the item for the collection if it supports the curriculum. 

 

Fulfillment Time

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Receipt of requested materials varies. Articles and book chapters may take up to three days and print resources may take up to two weeks. An additional week is needed for physical items requested by remote (online) students and faculty.

To obtain materials when needed, patrons are encouraged to start the research process early. 

 

Delivery Method

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Patrons are notified via email when requested items become available. Physical materials are held at the Service Desk and electronic items are shared with an access link and password.

Physical materials are mailed via USPS to patrons who identify as being enrolled in a Distance Education / Low-Residency program. This service is limited to U.S. addresses. 

 

Loan Period

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Electronic items issued with a link and password are accessible for up to five (5) viewings or 30 days. Please download and save items to retain access.

Physical materials are loaned with a due date specified by the lending library.

Patrons are asked to return materials to the Service Desk in the Learning Commons by their due date.

Patrons in the Distance Education program should use the pre-paid USPS package to return items to the Goucher College Library.

Late returns may jeopardize our ability to obtain further loans from the lending library. 

 

Cost and Fees

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ILL requests are filled at no cost to our patrons. However, it is not an entirely free operation as shipping costs, and sometimes lending fees, are involved. Thus, patrons are

encouraged to begin their research with items already owned by the Goucher College Library or are available via open access such as Google Scholar or Google Books.

Exception - patrons who fail to return borrowed items, or who damage library materials, are billed if fees are levied by the lending library. 

 

Copyright Restrictions

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Items obtained via ILL are for private study, scholarship or research. Copyright restrictions limit reproductions and sharing.

Instructors wishing to use ILL materials as a supplemental course reading should contact the Circulation Department (circ@goucher.edu) to secure permission from the copyright holder. Visit our Faculty Resources page for more information.