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Research Guides

InterLibrary Loan (ILL)

A Guide to ILL at Wellesley.

ILL Loan Information

Physical Loan Requests:

  • Are requested from libraries internationally and sent to Clapp library.

  • Are usually delivered within 3-10 days (depending on availability, location, and type of mail used to ship the request).  We are unable to track the exact shipping information for each request.  

  • Item shipped and ready for pick-up emails are sent to your Wellesley address.  

  • ILL loans are held until the due date, after which time they are sent back if not picked up. 

  • Yellow slips with due dates and renewal information (determined by the lending library) are included with each loan.  Please keep the slip with the book.  

  • eBooks are delivered as PDF's to your ILL account.  Emails are sent when available. PDFs are available for 30 days due to copyright.  Please be sure to save them once you open them.

Before Placing a Request:

  • Is this already available at the Wellesley Libraries?  Check the Wellesley Catalog or WorldCat.

  • Provide as much citation information as possible (providing the ISBN number or OCLC number will help us process your request faster).  TIP: Requesting through WorldCat will import this information into your request automatically! (see Placing an ILL Loan Request in WorldCat menu tab on the left) 

  • Is it on on course reserve?  If not, suggest the professor place a copy on reserve at the library, especially if it's a textbook.  (Textbooks can be difficult to request through ILL).

  • Do you need the whole book?  If you only need a chapter of two from a book (in accordance with copyright law-must not exceed 10% of the book), try placing a book chapter request (one per chapter) and we'll try to get them electronically.