Interlibrary Loan

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is considered an interlibrary loan transaction?

  Interlibrary loan is the term given to transactions between the University of Baltimore Law Library and other libraries. ILL is not the same as patron-placed holds (PPH) in the online catalog, which allows valid USMAI patrons to directly request circulating materials from other USMAI libraries.

• Who can use ILL?

  University of Baltimore Law School faculty, staff, and current students may use the services provided by the Law Library's ILL Department. Adjunct law school faculty may submit requests for material related to the course(s) they teach.

• When should ILL be used?

  For books: When looking for a book, patrons should always begin by searching the online catalog. The most efficient way to search for and request a book is to select the catalog for all USMAI libraries. This enables users to view the holdings of all campuses at one time. Once an eligible item is found, users can request a book using their University of Baltimore network ID. They can also choose UBLL as a pick-up location.

  If a title is unavailable to borrow from any USMAI library (i.e. it’s not listed in the catalog, missing, lost, or non-circulating), then the next step is to request the book through ILL.

  To request a book, complete the appropriate online or paper form. Copies of the paper form are available in the law library. Completed paper forms can be turned in at the reference desk. Once the forms are received, the books are ordered within 24-48 hours. However, this doesn’t guarantee that a book will be readily available from a potential lending library.

  For articles: When an online catalog search shows that a USMAI library other than the Law Library can potentially provide an article (i.e. they have the title/volume a patron needs), ILL then takes over. Once an ILL request form has been received, the article is ordered. As in the case with books, this doesn’t mean that the article will be immediately available from a potential lender.

• How long does it take to receive requests?

  It’s hard to estimate the amount of time it takes for a lending library to process our requests, as many factors can be involved, such as availability and staffing resources. Therefore, it’s recommended that patrons submit requests at least one week before their own personal deadline. It can take anywhere from one day to two weeks for the University of Baltimore Law Library to receive the item once it’s been ordered, whether it be an article or a book. Students are notified by email or phone as soon as the items have been received and processed.

• Does interlibrary loan service cost money?

  Our services are available free of charge to the members of the University of Baltimore community (see 2 above). However, this doesn’t mean there are no charges involved. Libraries charge fees for loans and copies of articles. The Law Library pays these fees whenever they’re incurred.

For a *Single* Book Request, go to ILL *Single* Book Request

For Multiple Book Requests, go to ILL Multiple Book Requests

For a *Single* Article Request, go to ILL *Single* Article Request

For Multiple Article Requests, go to ILL Multiple Article Requests