Before You Submit a Request
For Articles: Please check our Journals A-Z List (by searching for the journal title) and Google Scholar (by searching for the article title) before making an Interlibrary Loan request. Items already available through one of our databases or freely online will be cancelled.
For Books: Please check the library catalog and LINK+ before making an Interlibrary Loan request. Requests for items already available through our catalog or LINK+ will be cancelled.
Make an Interlibrary Loan Request
Interlibrary Loan Policies and Frequently Asked Questions
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) refers to borrowing and lending of materials between libraries. Whittier students, faculty, and staff may use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to request journal articles or books that are not available at Wardman Library or via LINK+.
Who Can Request Items?
This service is only available to currently enrolled students, faculty, and staff at Whittier College. Courtesy Card holders are not eligible for this service.
How Much Does It Cost?
Usually, requests can be filled for free. Occasionally, a library will want to charge for providing an article/book. If this happens, you will be contacted by a librarian to find out if you are willing to pay a fee to receive your item.
How Will I Know That My Item Arrived?
You will be notified by email when your materials have arrived and you may pick up your requested items at the circulation desk (unless an electronic copy is emailed to you). If books are not picked up, they will be sent back before their due date.
Requesting Books
Before submitting a book request, check our library catalog and LINK+. Requests for loans will be cancelled if the item is available at Wardman Library or via LINK+. Books are sent through the mail, by UPS, or FedEx and can take up to 2 weeks to arrive. We strongly advise that you request items well in advance of the time you need them. You can request books using our Interlibrary Loan form.
Loan Periods and Renewals: Each lending library has their own policy so due dates will vary as well as the possibility for renewal. You should contact Wardman Library 5 days prior to the due date to request a renewal.
Requesting Articles
Before submitting an article request, check Google Scholar by searching for the article title. If not available, check the Journal Titles A-Z list by searching for the journal title. Requests for articles will be cancelled if the item is available locally or via Google Scholar. Articles are usually sent electronically and arrive within 2-5 days of the request. However, some articles may be sent as print copies via postal mail (due to copyright restrictions) and could take longer to arrive. You can request articles using our Interlibrary Loan form.
Loan Period: Electronic and photocopied articles do not need to be returned. However, some articles are only accessible online for a limited period (usually 30 days) or for a limited number of downloads.
Requesting Book Chapters, Government Docs, Theses and Dissertations, Technical Reports, and Proceedings of a Conference
Depending on the length and format of these items, lending libraries may send us either the physical item via postal mail or an electronic copy. If the item is under 30 pages, an electronic copy will generally be sent. Please indicate in the request form if you prefer a physical copy of the item. You can request these items using our Interlibrary Loan form.
Course Materials, Textbooks, and Required Readings
If a text is required for a course, contact the bookstore for purchasing and renting options. If the bookstore does not have the book you need in stock, let your professor know as soon as possible. Interlibrary Loan should not be used as a substitute for purchasing required materials.
Requesting Visual Materials and Sound Recordings
At this time, we do not borrow visual materials or sound recordings from other libraries.
Other Limits on Loan Requests
Due to copyright, availability, and lending library policies, please be aware that it may be difficult to acquire the following types of items:
- Journal articles published in the past year
- Fragile, oversized, brittle, or archival materials
- Books published in the past year or that are in high demand
Patron Responsibilities
You are responsible for loaned material from the time it is picked up at Wardman Library until the time it is returned to the Circulation Desk. Please return borrowed materials on time including any processing paperwork included with the material (this helps us return the material to the right library). Please do not remove any stickers, barcodes, sleeves or other identifying material from books!
Failure to return materials on time damages Whittier College's relationship with other libraries and compromises our ability to borrow materials from them in the future.
Fines
Fines for overdue items are $1.00/day per item.
Compliance with Copyright Law
By registering to use interlibrary loan services and submitting requests for materials, users accept responsibility for complying with United States Copyright Law.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of those specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research". If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use", that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
Wardman Library reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
