Important notice: Beginning October 9, 2017, your interlibrary loan login is your Smith username and password.

What is Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary loan (ILL) provides access to materials owned by other libraries; it supplements the Five College Delivery system by obtaining items that cannot be ordered using "Request item" in the Five College Library Catalog.

• Interlibrary loan borrows both in and out of state and overseas when necessary. The loan period is set by the lending library and is usually 3-4 weeks; renewals are usually possible. Generally, however, think of these as short-term loans.
• Books are usually easy to borrow. Scores, videos and sound recordings etc. are more difficult, but we will try to get what you what you need.
• Interlibrary loan also obtains articles from journals not available online at Smith including articles from journals in the Five College Library Annex and the Five College Library Repository. These copies usually arrive as PDFs.

Who Can Borrow

• All currently-affiliated Smith College faculty, staff and students may use the Smith College interlibrary loan service.
• Affiliates of the other Five Colleges, alumnae and public borrowers are not eligible to use Smith's interlibrary loan service. (Use the library of your home institution or your public library, as appropriate.)

Turnaround Time

• Most requests are sent out to a potential supplier within 24-48 hours. If you submit a large number of requests on a single day, they may not all be sent out on the same day.
• Articles usually arrive within a few days.
• Books, DVDs/videos, etc. can take anywhere from a few days to arrive to several weeks, depending on how far they must travel and what shipping method the supplier uses.
• Service may be slower during the peak of the semester or during vacation periods.
• If you have special needs, please consult with the interlibrary loan staff.

Cost

• Most interlibrary loans are provided to you free of charge, since the Libraries subsidize up to $25 per request. For items over $25, you may be asked to pay the balance. (You may cancel the request if you'd rather not pay.)
• An annual per person subsidy is also in force.

Request Limits & Other Important Reminders

• You may have up to 50 active requests at one time.
• The lending library determines the loan period, options for renewal and any restrictions on use. You must adhere to any conditions placed by the lender.
• All materials borrowed via interlibrary loan are subject to recall by the lender at any time.
• You are responsible for any loss or damage fees.

Research Assistants

• Research assistants must obtain a proxy borrowers card before registering for interlibrary loan. For more information see Faculty Research Assistants.
• To register for interlibrary loan, research assistants should complete a new user registration, distinct from their own personal registration. The registration will include the faculty or staff member's name, the research assistant's name and the barcode from the research assistant proxy library card.