Interlibrary Loans

The ILL process begins with you submitting a request form for a book or an article. These requests are usually sent through this page, though you can are links in Search Everything and other databases that let you submit a request as well.

Avila library staff recieve the request when you submit it. We request the book or article from other libraries across the United States. When the book or article arrives at the Avila library, the Avila ILL department sends the you an email with information about your request. For books, the email will let you know that the book has arrived and can be picked up at the circulation desk. For articles, the email to the patron will provide the requested article via an attachment to the email.

When you submit an ILL request, we need you to submit the following information so that we can locate your library account and contact you once your ILL arrives: your full name, your status with Avila (for example, student, faculty, etc.), and email. Additionally, we need the following information about your request:

Articles

Effective ILL requests for articles will contain at least the following five items:

1. The ISSN of the journal containing the article.
2. The title of the journal (no abbreviations).
3. The complete title of the article (no abbreviations).
4. The author or authors of the article.
5. The publication / publishing information for the article.

All requests for articles that include these five items have a high probability of success.

Books

Effective ILL requests for books will contain at least three items:

1. The ISBN of the book.
2. The title of the book (no abbreviations)
3. The author or authors of the bookThe publication / publishing information of the book.

All requests for books that include these four items have a high probability of success.

The delivery time for an ILL varies. A requested article will generally require 4-7 days for delivery. The delivery time for a requested book is usually 7-14 days, but it can occasionally take longer than this.  The time taken depends on how quickly a lending library can be found and then how quickly the mail system gets the book to Avila. The Avila Library & Learning Commons will make every effort to deliver patron requests as soon as possible.

It is completely free to submit an ILL request, and the Avila Library pays most regular costs associated with ILL requests. If for some reason an additional charge is required to complete a request, the Learning Commons will notify the requester, and give them the option to pay the charges and complete the loan, or pay nothing with the chance that the item cannot be provided. Patrons are never charged for ILLs without their agreement.

The library will pay any additional loan fees for faculty.

Renewals of ILL books or articles are at the discretion of the lending institution and cannot be guaranteed. All renewal requests must be done before the due date of the ILL item. Email (avilaill@avila.edu) or call the ILL Department (816.501.3711) for a renewal request.