Interlibrary Loan Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS INTERLIBRARY LOAN?

Interlibrary loan supplements University of Texas at Dallas Libraries collections by requesting items from other institutions. This service is available to UTD faculty, staff, and students.

WHAT MAY I REQUEST?

BOOKS. Books not owned by McDermott Library may be borrowed if a library can be located that will lend it. Libraries seldom loan rare books, dissertations, or reference works.

JOURNALS. Libraries will supply a photocopy of a particular article rather than loaning the journal.

HOW DO I SUBMIT AN INTERLIBRARY LOAN REQUEST?

  1. Electronically

    CLICK HERE

  2. Manually

Interlibrary loan request forms are available in the Interlibrary Loan Office (MC2.428) or Eugene McDermott Library Reference Desk or Callier Center Library.

For BOOKS, supply the author, title, publisher, and date of publication using a book request form.

For JOURNAL ARTICLES, include the journal title, volume number, date, page numbers, author of the article. and the title of the article using a photocopy request form. If complete information is not provided, the request will be delayed. Turn in completed forms at the Main Circulation Desk. A valid UTD identification card is required when requesting materials.

HOW LONG BEFORE I HAVE THE MATERIAL REQUESTED?

Borrowing books from other libraries can take from a few days to several months, depending upon availability. The average time is about two weeks.

Photocopy requests are sent by telefacsimile to the University of Texas at Austin Library. If UT - Austin owns the journal, a photocopy may be available within two working days. Otherwise, the requested material will take a few additional days to several weeks to arrive from another library.

HOW MUCH DOES INTERLIBRARY LOAN COST?

There is usually no charge for borrowing a book. Interlibrary loan staff will notify you if the material cannot be borrowed for free. All charges for books are the responsibility of the patron.

There is no charge for photocopied journal articles received by from University of Texas at Austin. All other photocopy costs $0.10 per page.

Interlibrary charges may be paid at the Eugene McDermott Library Cashier's Office or at the Callier Center Library.

HOW WILL I BE NOTIFIED WHEN MY MATERIAL ARRIVES?

The Interlibrary Loan staff will contact you by email (preferably) or by telephone. If you can not be reached by either method, a postcard will be mailed to you.

WHERE DO I PICK-UP INTERLIBRARY LOAN MATERIAL?

Pick up all Main Campus materials at the Library Circulation Desk. Materials requested by Callier students should be picked-up there.

Books circulate using the library's automated system which means that you must have your UTD Library ID card when the material is picked up. The library mails photocopied journal articles supplied by UT - Austin. All other photocopies should be picked up at the Eugene McDermott Library Circulation Desk or Callier Center Library.

WHAT IS THE LOAN PERIOD?

Typically, books are available for two weeks at the discretion of the loaning library. In addition, the loaning library may impose restrictions, such as library use only or no renewals. If you need additional time to use the material, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office as soon as possible. The loaning library grants permission for renewals, not UTD library staff.

ARE THERE ANY FINES?

Fines are assessed for late return of loaned materials. To avoid fines, return all material to the circulation desk where it was picked-up

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For additional information regarding the Interlibrary Loan Service, please contact:

Interlibrary Loan Office
McDermott Library
Room 2.428

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Telephone: (214) 883-2900