Turnaround Time
Please remember, Interlibrary Loans are NOT a last-minute, my-paper-is-due-tomorrow option. The ILL process takes time, and requesters must allow at least two weeks for materials to arrive. In some cases materials will come sooner. In other rare cases materials may not be available for loan or photocopying or provisions of the copyright law may restrict the library from requesting materials.

Textbooks
Unfortunately, we cannot request current textbooks through Interlibrary Loan. Like our library, most libraries do NOT loan current textbooks through ILL. In addition, the loan period for an ILL book is two weeks to one month, well shy of the semester students need. Please either buy your textbooks or use the two Reserve copies that Sawyer Library has purchased for student use.

Number of Requests
Due to limited staff resources, the number of requests made, per person, may be restricted.

Receipt and Return of Materials
Students will be notified by phone or e-mail when their materials arrive. Some non-returnable material (such as articles) are received electronically and it may be possible to convert these to PDF and email them to you. If that is your preference, please indicate this on your request form. All other materials must be picked up at--and books returned to--the Reference Desk of Sawyer Library.

Please note that the Library cannot fill ILL requests for materials that are already available in the Sawyer, Suffolk Law, or NESADSU libraries in print, microform, or electronic formats. In addition, some materials may be limited to use within the library by the lending institution. If there is a photocopying restriction, it must be honored.

Books are checked out to the requester for the loan period determined by the lending library. Renewals are at the discretion of the lending library. Anyone who borrows a book is responsible for any charges for late, lost or damaged materials. When materials are returned late, or lost, it jeopardizes not only the requester’s borrowing privileges, but also the borrowing privileges of the Sawyer Library. Photocopies or faxes that are not picked up will be discarded 30 days after receipt.

Anyone who consistently abuses Interlibrary Loan borrowing privileges will be denied the use of the service.

InterLibrary Loan Request Forms
Students may fill out a paper request form at the Reference Desk--this is a good choice if you need assistance with the process. Or you may choose to use web-based ILL forms. Please note that all requests must have complete and accurate information. A "bad citation" may delay or prevent the filling of your request. Need help verifying an item? Come see us at the Reference Desk!

Law Student Interlibrary Loan
Sawyer Library supports SSOM and CAS student research. If you are a law student, please contact the Suffolk Law Library for your supplemental research needs, no matter what the subject matter of the material needed. Please consult the Law Library’s ILL page for more information.