What is Interlibrary Loan?
Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a free service whereby current OU faculty, staff, and students can borrow books, articles, and other materials from libraries across the world. Students enrolled at OU-Tulsa or OU-Health Sciences Center should use the Interlibrary Loan services and forms available on OU-Tulsa or OU-Health Sciences Center library websites to request materials.
Copyright and ILL
In accordance with the Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act, an amendment to Title 17 of the United States Code, the University of Oklahoma Libraries may borrow and lend materials through ILL and request scans of materials for the purpose of private study, scholarship, or research. The Interlibrary Loan department reserves the right to refuse to process requests which, in our opinion, would violate copyright law. On these occasions, Interlibrary Loan will provide users with information on how they might acquire the desired materials through channels other than Interlibrary Loan.
Interlibrary loan materials may not be put on reserve. Faculty and staff may use our reserves service to request that materials be placed on reserve.
Requesting Materials through Interlibrary Loan
Loan Instructions
First, determine that the book is not owned by the OU Libraries by searching Discover Local. If OU owns the item, use Sooner Xpress to request the item.
To request a book, please use the WorldCat database which can be accessed using the "Database" link located under the Quicklinks menu on the library homepage. After finding a record for the book you desire, click on the “Request via Interlibrary Loan” link to order the item.
If a record for the book is unavailable in WorldCat, use the request forms located on your My ILL page. To access these forms, login to University Libraries' website using your OUNetID and password. On the library homepage, click on My ILL / Sooner Xpress under the Quick Links menu and then choose the book form located under New ILL Request.
Please be as specific as possible: include title, author, edition, volumes, publisher, publication year, and place of publication.
Some materials are not available through interlibrary loan:
- Print versions of e-books owned by OU
- Print materials owned by OU - requests for these items will be sent to Sooner Xpress
- Popular movies, popular music, video games, and audio books - these items are more readily available from your local public library
- Textbooks or required texts for current courses
- Electronic copies of entire books or full issues of periodicals. Due to copyright licensing issues and varying software setups, we try to obtain a physical copy of a requested resource for loan purposes as a default.
Article Instructions
First, determine that the journal is not owned by the OU Libraries by searching Discover Local. If OU owns the item, use Sooner Xpress to request the item.
Locate the record for the needed article in one of the databases available from the library's website. Once you have found a record for the article, use the “Request via Interlibrary Loan” link or OU Link to Article, whichever is available, to order the article. The OU Link to Article will direct you to a page that will allow you to check the OU catalog for availability. If the item is not available, a link is provided so that you may request it through interlibrary loan.
If a record for the desired article is unavailable in one of the OU Libraries’ databases, use the request forms located on your My ILL page to request the article. To access these forms, login to University Libraries' website using your OUNetID and password. On the library homepage, click on My ILL / Sooner Xpress under the Quick Links menu and then choose the article form located under New ILL Request.
Please be as specific as possible: include journal title, volume number, publication year, article or chapter title (if any), author(s), and page numbers.
Dissertation/Thesis Instructions
To request a dissertation, please use the Dissertation Abstracts database. Many dissertations are available online without charge from this database.
If online access to the dissertation is unavailable in Dissertation Abstracts, use the WorldCat database to request the dissertation. Once you have located a record for the dissertation within WorldCat, click on the “Request via Interlibrary Loan” link to order it.
If there is no record for the dissertation in WorldCat, use the request forms located on your My ILL page to request the dissertation. To access these forms, login to the University Libraries' website using your OUNetID and password. On the library homepage, click on My ILL / Sooner Xpress under the Quick Links menu and then choose the book form located under New ILL Request.. Please be sure to include the author, title, date of publication, and the school where it was written.
Additional Interlibrary Loan Information
Turnaround Time and Rush Service
Electronically supplied items are normally filled between 24-48 hours. A request for a physical loan of an item may take up to three weeks to arrive.
If you have an urgent need, email the ILL office about rush service. Rush service for copies or scans cost $10 per item. For books, we require that users cover the cost of expedited shipping, which averages $30. If the items does not arrive by the date needed, the charges will be waived.
Article Delivery
You will be notified by email only that your article has arrived. Login to the library's website with your OUNetID (4x4), click on My ILL / Sooner Xpress under the Quick Links menu on the library homepage, and select your campus. Your article will be under the heading "Electronically Received Articles." To view the article, click on the PDF icon.
If you receive a notice that the article has arrived but it is not located on your "My ILL" page, please report it IMMEDIATELY to Interlibrary Loan at (405) 325-6422 or by email. We will try to access the document. If we are unable to repost the article, we will send it to your email as a PDF attachment.
Loan Delivery
You may request that ILL loans be delivered to Bizzell Memorial Library, a branch library, your home, or your campus office. Items delivered off-campus will be delivered via USPS. If you choose delivery outside of Bizzell Library, please list your address in the notes field. You will be responsible for return postage costs. Items borrowed through Interlibrary Loan may only be shipped to addresses within the United States.
When your request arrives at a hold desk or is shipped to you, you will be notified by email only. You must present an ID to pick up an item being held for you at Bizzell or a branch library. If you would prefer that a proxy pick up your materials, please make arrangements by following our "Checking Out Materials through Proxy" guidelines.
Due Dates, Renewals, and Recalls
Due Dates, Renewals, and Recalls Due dates are set by the lending library. You can check your due date in the “Checked Out Items” section on your My ILL page. If you need your item beyond the due date, you can request a renewal by selecting the item and clicking the red Renew button. Not all requests are eligible for renewal. You will receive an overdue notice after your ILL item is two days past due. If you still need the item, you can request a renewal for it. If the item reaches two weeks past due, you will receive a second notice. If the item reaches three weeks past due, you will receive a third notice and you will be blocked from using ILL. A blocked account will prevent you from ordering additional ILL material. The block will be cleared after you have returned all overdue items. If the item is not returned within one week after receiving your third notice, you will be charged a nonrefundable overdue fee of $10. If an item is never returned or is lost, you will be responsible for the replacement cost of the item. The cost will be determined by the lending library. If an item is recalled by the lending library, you will receive a notice via email. You will have one week to return the item. If the item is not returned within one week of the recall notice, you will be charged a nonrefundable fee of $10.
Interlibrary Loan Charges
Although every effort is made to obtain Interlibrary Loan materials free of charge, some materials cost. In the event that an interlibrary loan request requires payment, users will be notified in advance for approval. If the patron agrees, the charges will be posted to the patron's library patron account.