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Interlibrary Loan FAQ

FAQs -- Frequently Asked Questions About ILL Service

What's the difference between a CLIC request and an "ILL" request?
Is there a charge for ILL?
How do I submit an ILL request?
Is there a limit to how many ILL requests I can submit?
Can undergraduates get the same items through ILL as graduates?
Do I need to know what library owns a book or journal before I submit my request?
Can you get copies of articles in journals owned by St. Kates?
How long will it take to get here?
How long may I keep a book obtained through ILL?
May I renew a book I have borrowed through ILL?
Can I borrow a dissertation through ILL?
How long will my ILL request remain active?
If I put in a sooner "need by" date will I get it faster?
What if I don't have a deadline?
How can I check on the status of an item I've requested through ILL?
How will I know when my article or book is here?
Can you call me when my CLIC book arrives?
Do I have to return ILL books to the St. Kate's library?
How can I request videos and other non-print media?

For more info about ILL:
St. Paul campus 651-690-6655
Minneapolis campus 651-690-7782

What's the difference between a CLIC book request and an "ILL" book request?>
St. Kate's students, faculty and staff request CLIC books (items found in the CLICnet catalog and owned by St. Thomas, Macalester, Hamline, Augsburg, Concordia, Bethel and Northwestern libraries) using the online catalog. When you place an ILL request though ILLiad, St. Kate's borrows items on your behalf from libraries outside of the CLIC system.

Is there a charge for ILL?
There is no charge, though we reserve the right to return a request unfilled if the cost of obtaining the item is excessive, or if the cumulative lending or royalty costs of multiple requests from one person exceeds our ability to subsidize the cost.

How do I submit an ILL request?
You can submit ILL requests using the ILLiad online forms.

Is there a limit to how many ILL requests I can submit?
For CLIC requests: Holds placed on CLICnet are limited to twenty requests in process. Once one of your requests arrives and is checked out to you, you may place another request.
ILL requests: There is no limit on the number of requests placed using the ILL forms for books and journal articles. If one person submits a large number of requests in one day, we reserve the right to spread out the processing of those requests over several days.

Can undergraduates get the same items through ILL as graduates?
For ILL purposes, we make some distinctions between undergraduates and graduates. Generally speaking, undergrads usually have shorter time limits than graduate students or faculty. For this reason, we borrow for undergrads from Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas libraries only. This will include about 98% of undergraduate ILL needs. If you are an undergraduate and would like us to make an exception to this policy, please have your instructor contact the ILL staff granting permission for you. All other requests from undergrads for items not available within these states will be returned.

Do I need to know what library owns a book or journal before I submit my request?
No! Our ILL staff has access to databases and electronic resources that will indicate to us where a book or journal title is owned. Once you've filled out a request form and submitted it to us, we will do the rest.

Can I get copies of articles in journals owned by St. Kates?
If you are part of a Distance Ed. program we will copy articles from journals we own and post them to your ILLiad account. Please place your requests using our online request forms . Make sure to select Distance Ed. as your status.

How long will it take to get here?
It depends...

  • Books from other CLIC libraries normally arrive in 1 - 4 days.
  • Articles from other CLIC libraries take 1 - 4 days.
  • Books and articles from the U of MN take 2 - 10 days for delivery.
  • Books and articles from other Metro area libraries may take 7-10 days.
  • Books and articles from greater Minnesota, Wisconsin or the Dakotas may take 1 -2 weeks or more.
  • Items from others states may take anywhere from 1- 3 weeks or more.

These delivery times are averages. The speed of delivery will depend on the ILL workload at St. Kate's and at the lending library. Difficulty verifying the citation may also delay requests.

How long may I keep a book obtained through ILL?
If the book is from another CLIC library, CLIC-wide due dates will apply (generally six weeks for books). If the book was borrowed from a non-CLIC library, the lending library will set the due date. Patrons are urged to pick up ILL books as soon as notice is received, since the due date is set by when the book is shipped to us, not by when the patron actually picks it up.

May I renew a book I have borrowed through ILL?
Yes and no. Books borrowed from another CLIC library can be renewed, either by calling the library or accessing CLICnet yourself. Books we borrow for you from non-CLIC libraries generally cannot be renewed (but if you call us, we will try for you). Please call prior to the due date; lending libraries will NOT renew materials if they are overdue.

Can I borrow a dissertation through ILL?
Dissertations are usually owned by the library at the university or college from which the author graduated. Once you have identified a dissertation you'd like to borrow, fill out the ILL request form for a thesis. We will attempt to borrow the dissertation from the library that owns it. Be prepared to wait several weeks. It is our policy to borrow dissertations only for graduates, staff and faculty -- undergraduates usually cannot wait the time required to process requests for theses. If you would like us to make an exception to this policy, please call our ILL department.

How long will my ILL request remain active?
Holds placed on CLICnet will remain on the system for 21 days. After that time, your hold will drop, and the system will generate a notice informing you. If you still need the item, you will need to place another hold.
Item requested through ILL (by filling out a form) will stay in processing until the "not needed after" date you indicated, or for four weeks if you did not indicate a date. Before we take a request out of processing, we will send you a notice and ask if you still need the item.

If I put in a sooner "need by" date on my request, will I get it faster?
No! The "Not needed after" date tells us when to quit trying to fill your request. Your request will be returned to you unfilled if the date you specify does not allow us sufficient time to obtain a copy from the nearest lending library.

What if I don't have a deadline? Should I leave the "need by" line blank?
We prefer that you fill in a date. If the line is left blank, we will assign a 30 day deadline.

How can I check on the status of an item I've requested through ILL?
You can check the status by using your ILLiad account. This is one of many features of our software.

How will I know when my article or book is here?
Books: You will receive a notice via e-mail. CLIC Books will be held at the Circulation desk for 14 days. ILL books will be held usually until the due date.

Articles: All articles will be delivered in electronic format to your ILLiad account and stored there up to 30 days.

Can you call me when my CLIC book arrives?
Unfortunately, we cannot set this as an option on the system.

Do I have to return ILL books to the St. Kate's Library?
Books owned by any other CLIC library can be returned to any CLIC library. Books borrowed through ILL (from outside the CLIC system) must be returned to the library that loaned it to you, which will forward it back to the lending library.

How can I request videos and other non-print media?
First, check CLICnet for a video on your topic at St. Kate's or another CLIC library. Then contact St. Kate's Media Services department and they will be able to arrange a loan for you. If you do not find something on CLICnet that you can use, contact Media services for other options. You may also check the holdings of the public libraries by using the MNLiNK catalog. Please contact a reference librarian for assistance.