Interlibrary Loan Frequently Asked Questions

Interlibrary Loan

• Who is eligible to use Iona's Interlibrary Loan services?

  Current faculty, students, faculty emeriti, administrators and staff of Iona College can make interlibrary loan requests.

• How do I submit an Interlibrary Loan request using Iona WorldCat?

  Iona WorldCat is a very powerful tool that not only searches the collections of the Iona College Libraries, but the collections of thousands of libraries world-wide.

  1. When you search Iona WorldCat, you can easily see which items are owned by Iona, and which are not.
     In the results list, if the record says "Held by: Iona College Libraries" then the item is owned by Iona. If the phrase is not there, Iona does not own the item. You may order through interlibrary loan items Iona does not own. You may also order an item owned by Iona if the Iona copy is checked out by another library user or is otherwise unavailable. The only items you cannot request are electronic books because we cannot borrow them at this time. 
  2. Click on the title of the item that you wish to request. This brings up more details about the item. Please double-check that Iona does not own the item or that the Iona copy is unavailable.
  3. Click on the button that says "Request Item" located at the very bottom of the record. This will bring up a form to complete. Please enter your first and last name, status and your Iona email address. You may also enter any comments about your request that seem necessary. 
     Faculty members please change Department to your academic department. You may also enter any comments about your request that seem necessary. Click Submit. You will see an acknowledgment screen. 
  4. Please allow 10 days for your requested items to arrive (articles take 3-4 days). We will email you when the items arrive, and you can pick them up at the Ryan Library Help Desk. Please note that while most items can be borrowed through interlibrary loan, certain items may be difficult to get (see below). These include current bestsellers, reference books, old and rare items, and audiovisual materials.
  5. If you need further assistance, please contact Ed Helmrich at the Interlibrary Loan Office, (914) 633-2352 or send us an email.

• How do I submit an Interlibrary Loan request from this website?

  If you already have the full citation information of the item you are looking for, and you know that Iona does not have this item in the library, you can use one of the following online forms:

  • Request a Book or Book Chapter
  • Request an Article

  We do not accept requests made via telephone or email, but feel free to call if you have a question. 

  Please check the online catalog to be sure that Iona does not own the book or does not have access to the full-text article you need. If Iona owns the item you request and it is available, we will send you an email indicating how to get it at Iona. 

• How are ILLs formatted?

  Articles delivered via Interlibrary Loan are provided in OCR PDF format. This means articles have undergone an automated optical character recognition (OCR) process that enables the text to be searchable and readable.

  For currently enrolled students and current faculty/staff who require an accommodation, Iona College Libraries will provide additionally formatted PDFs or alternate format items for course-related and academic research purposes. Alternate format items will be available only for items owned or licensed by the Iona Libraries or obtained through ILL.

  The library will make every attempt to provide ILL items requested as an additionally formatted PDF or alternate format item but due to the original format of item and/or the source of the item, it cannot guarantee it will be able to provide all requested titles. If a request cannot be provided, the Libraries will assist the patron in identifying other suitable titles.

  Every attempt will be made to provide additionally formatted PDFs and alternate format items in a timely fashion but if requests cannot be completed within a week the patron will be notified.

  If you require an additionally formatted PDF or an alternate format item via ILL please add a note to the comment box on the ILL request forms.

• Use of materials under copyright

  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 these 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 purposed in excess of "fair use" that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve a violation of copyright law. Read more about copyright and fair use »

  Note: The Federal Copyright Law prohibits Iona College Libraries from requesting, during a given calendar year, more than five articles published within the past five years from any single periodical title, without paying royalties to the publisher. No more than one article may be obtained from the same issue of a journal without paying royalties. Items unavailable as a result of copyright restrictions may be obtained if patrons wish to pay the royalty fees. Questions regarding this should be directed to the Interlibrary Loan Office. Policies are based on the Interlibrary Loan Code of the American Library Association, local consortium guidelines, and the current copyright law in the U.S. Code.

  Note: This service supplements the library collection and should not be used exclusively.

• What If Iona has the book I want but it's been checked out already?

  If a book that you need and that Iona owns is charged out or is not on the shelf, please submit your request to interlibrary loan. If we find it on the shelf, we will email you at your Iona email account. If we can not find it, we will request it from another library.

• How long may I keep an ILL item?

  Books have a 28-day loan period, with two renewals allowed. However, if the library that lent the book to Iona recalls the book, we recall the book from the patron, and it must be returned immediately and can not be renewed. Overdue fines will be charged from the day of recall.

  Articles are emailed to patrons and do not need to be returned at any time.

• Is there a limit to the number of items I can order from ILL?

  Books: You may only check-out ten ILL books at one time, and only five requests will be processed per day. So please request items with care.

  Articles: Although there is no limit placed on the number of article requests a patron may submit, only five requests will be processed per day. So please request items with care.

• How will I know when my ILL item arrives?

  When books arrive, we notify you by e-mail. We send e mails to Iona e-mail accounts only. You can pick up books at the Ryan Library Help Desk. 

  It takes on average ten calendar days for books to arrive. If you need an item faster, please see the On-Site Pick-Up section below.

  Books have an orange-yellow paper band attached to them, which identifies them as interlibrary loan books. The band must stay on the book and be intact.

  Books borrowed through interlibrary loan are the PATRON'S RESPONSIBILITY, and if not returned replacement costs will be charged. Books must be handled with care.

  Note: Some books may be restricted to library use by the lending library. These are treated like reserve books and cannot leave Ryan Library.

  Articles will be sent as links with a password or as PDF attachments to your Iona e-mail account. You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the articles. Articles should be saved immediately to your computer. You cannot forward articles to other people since this is an infringement of copyright law (see below).

  It takes on average five calendar days for articles to arrive. If you need an item faster, please see the On-Site Pick-Up section below.

• How/ when should I return my ILL items?

  Please return all books to the Ryan / Arrigoni Circulation / Help Desks. Please do not return books to the book drop, via campus mail, or via U.S. Mail.

  Books have an orange-yellow paper band attached to them, which identifies them as interlibrary loan books. The band must stay on the book and be intact.

  Books borrowed through interlibrary loan are the PATRON'S RESPONSIBILITY, and if not returned replacement costs will be charged. Books must be handled with care.

  Due dates must be observed. If you return a book late, overdue fines will be charged. If the book is very late, we will place a library hold on your account until the book has been returned.

  Students must return all interlibrary loan books by the last day of final exams for that semester, or the patron's account will be blocked administratively by the end of that day.

  Failure to observe due dates jeopardizes Iona's ability to continue to borrow books from other libraries.

• Can I renew an Interlibrary Loan item?

  You are allowed to renew ILL books twice.

  Renew interlibrary loan books at the Ryan or Arrigoni Help Desks or online through your library account. Overdue fines will be charged, and lost books must be paid for. If the lending library recalls the book you have borrowed, we will contact you via email. The recalled books must be returned to the Libraries as soon as possible, regardless of the original due date.

   

• Are there materials which are difficult to get through ILL?

  Items often difficult to obtain:

  • Current textbooks
  • Reference books
  • Videos, DVD's and other audiovisual materials.
  • Theses or Dissertations (PhD, MS, MA, BS, BA).
  • Current bestsellers (published this year) and/or high use materials (that might be on reserve or checked out).
  • Non-circulating materials such as reference books or whole issues of periodicals.
  • Rare or archival items and manuscripts.

• What are my options if I don't want to order through ILL?

  The New Rochelle Public Library issues library cards to Iona students who do not already have a Westchester public library card. Iona student need to present their Iona ID card to the registration desk. The first time a student uses the card, they will be allowed to check out only 3 items. After 3 weeks, they will be allowed to check out additional items.

  WALDO (Westchester Academic Library Directors Organization) includes many local academic libraries belong to WALDO, which has an agreement that allows:

  CURRENT FACULTY of member institutions to borrow books directly from other WALDO libraries. Faculty can request the necessary WALDO sticker at the Interlibrary Loan Office or the Ryan Reference Desk.

  STUDENTS of member institutions to enter other WALDO libraries using their Iona ID (students can not charge out books).

  View the list of WALDO libraries »

  METRO (Metropolitan New York Library Council) cards allow faculty or students to enter other Metro libraries, but do not allow them to charge out books. If a title is not available at Iona, or if a special subject area is not available at Iona, or in any local public or academic libraries, a METRO card allows faculty and students to read the book or to browse the subject area at another Metro library. METRO cards are available in the Interlibrary Loan Office or the Ryan Reference Desk. View the list of METRO libraries  »

• On-site pick-up and rush orders

  Please ask for and fill out an ALA (American Library Association) form at the Interlibrary Loan Office and then pick up the book at a local library. This is the only method to get a book without waiting the usual ten calendar day delivery period. Please return the book to the Iona Interlibrary Loan Office. 

• Contact Us

  Phone: (914) 633-2352 Email: docdelivery@iona.edu Office hours: M-F 8:30-4:30.
  
  Accurate and complete information in requests speeds up processing time. Check with a reference librarian if you need assistance. Be prompt in your return of books. Habitual disregard of rules or abuse of materials will result in loss of interlibrary loan borrowing privileges.

  NOTE: Most academic libraries (including Iona College) close for the holidays and do not ship books or provide photocopies during this time. Requests will not be processed over the Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter holidays.

  Our goal is to supplement your research needs. The materials we provide can enhance your work.