Interlibrary Loan Services

  Frequently Asked Questions

Who can use interlibrary loan services? 

UNO Interlibrary Loan Services are available to all UNO faculty, staff, and students. 

Research Park employees, UNO alumni, students of other area universities, and the general public are not eligible to use the Interlibrary Loan Service. 

I'm a distance learning student, can I use interlibrary loan?

Yes! You are able to use interlibrary loan to request articles and book chapters. 

What can I get via interlibrary loan?

You can request books, CDs, DVDs and manuscripts. You can also request scans of journal articles and book chapters. 

The service is intended to support research and teaching activities, so please refrain from requesting items for entertainment purposes, such as best-selling novels or graphic novels.

Is there anything I can’t get?

We can’t guarantee that we will be able to get everything you request – some items are too rare to be borrowed or simply aren’t available. However, there are a few items that you are unable to request:

- Reserve items or textbooks 
- Scans from reserve items or textbooks 
- E-books 

How long does it take to receive an item?

Processing and shipping times vary widely due to the availability of the item you request, but most books arrive at the library within two weeks, and article and book scans are usually received within three to seven days.

How will I know a book is ready for pick up and where do I get it?

Once an item is available to borrow, you will receive an email from the libill@uno.edu email address. You can pick up the item from the Library’s circulation desk. Make sure to have your UNO ID card when you borrow the item – we will use your ID card to check the item out to you at the Services Desk.

Article and book chapter scans will be sent directly to your UNO email address.

What is the borrowing period for interlibrary loan items?

The length of your loan depends entirely on the library that lends the item - they set the due date. Usually, the borrowing period for interlibrary loans are between four to 12 weeks.

Can I renew an interlibrary loan item, and what happens if it’s overdue?

Interlibrary loan items can be renewed using your ILLiad account or by contacting interlibrary loan staff. 

If an item is overdue, your library account will be blocked and you will receive email notifications until it is returned. If an item is not returned within four weeks of the due date your ILLiad account will be blocked. Once the item is returned, all of your accounts will be unblocked.

Help! I’ve damaged or lost an interlibrary loan item.

If you have lost or damaged an item, you will be responsible for any fines or replacement costs imposed by the lending library. Please contact interlibrary loan staff if you have lost or damaged an item.