Turnaround Time

Materials requested through non-WRLC Libraries usually take 7-10 business days to arrive at the library. The items will be held until the lending library specified due date at the Circulation and Course Reserves Desk.

Loan Periods

Loan periods for ILL materials are up to the discretion of the lender. Renewals and terms of the lending are also decided by the lending institution. To check for due dates please look at the purple label affixed to the material or login to your My Library Account. ILL books are held until the due date given by the lender.

How to complete a request

Requests outside the WRLC can be made by searching through WorldCat for the title and then selecting the link that says "View Access Options," using the "Request through Interlibrary Loan" option in AU Library Search, or from our various databases with the "Find It @ AU Library" link. This will prompt you to log in to your Library Account and will take you to a pre-populated request form.

If you would like to manually enter a request with a known citation, please use the ILL Request button on the top of this page. When filling out the ILL form, try to include as much information as possible. Often this helps our ILL department get the item to you faster.

Eligible Items

Renewals

Non-Consortium due dates and renewals are subject to approval by the lending library. Renewal requests can be submitted to the ILL office through your ILLiad account, by email or phone, or in person at AU library. AU ILL will notify patrons of the outcome of their renewal request via email after the lending library has made a determination.

If you need to renew an ILL item that does not permit renewals (NO RENEWALS will be listed on the purple ILL label) or is past its due date, please contact the Interlibrary Loan office. Overdue items cannot be renewed on your ILLiad account.

To renew your materials online:

1. Log in to your Interlibrary Loan account, which can be accessed from the ILL Requests section of your My Library Account.
2. Click "View/Renew Items" or "Checked Out Items" to access a summary of all ILL items checked out to your ILLiad account
3. Select the transaction number of the ILL request that you would like to have renewed, then select "Request Renewal" from transaction record
4. A tentative due date of four weeks in the future will become visible
5. AU ILL sends your renewal request to lending library
6. AU ILL notifies patron of approval or denial of renewal request

Faculty Proxy Information

Faculty proxy privileges do not apply to Interlibrary Loan requests, regardless of whether the faculty member or their proxy submits the request. ILL requests must be placed by the faculty member in order to be checked out to the faculty member's account. All ILL requests submitted by a proxy patron will be checked out to the account of the proxy patron. Faculty proxies may pick up the ILL items requested by their faculty member when they arrive at the Borrowing Desk. A proxy can be authorized by completing a Faculty Proxy Authorization Form and submitting it to the Circulation and Course Reserves Desk.

NOTE: AU maintains a special lending relationship with all universities within the WRLC. If you are affiliated with one of the consortium schools please see the directions for requests within the WRLC.

Lending to other Libraries and Institutions

Libraries and institutions not affiliated with WRLC are also invited to make requests for AU books. This is generally done via the OCLC ILL system by using our library symbol: EAU.

For institutions that don't participate in OCLC, please contact us directly at auill@american.edu. Before submitting any request it may be helpful to check the current availability of the desired resource by finding it in our catalog.

Pricing

Turnaround time and Rush requests

Although we typically respond to requests within 1-2 days, we may take up to 4 days during the busiest times of the year. For urgent requests we offer a rush processing service (for an additional $25) that aims to fill requests in ~2hrs from submission. It is highly recommended that requestors call our office when submitting rush requests to ensure we begin working on them as soon as possible.

Delivery Options

Our default shipping method for items traveling within the United States is the U.S. Postal Service's library-rate mail. Other arrangements, such as courier pick-up or express shipping, are available upon request if your institution has trouble receiving standard mail. All international requests are shipped via Fed-Ex.

Loan Periods, Renewals, and Recalls

The standard loan period for an item is 4 weeks from the date the request is filled. We typically allow up to 2 renewals, each for another 4 weeks. Institutions using OCLC are asked to submit renewal requests through that system. Other institutions may make requests over the phone or through email. Please note: we reserve the right to recall items before the assigned due date.

Items that CANNOT be borrowed from AU

The following item types are generally ineligible for Interlibrary Loan. If you are interested in borrowing any of the below please contact us directly and we will connect you with the appropriate library staff member.

1. Entire issues of journals, magazines, and newspapers
2. Materials from our reference collections
3. Software
4. Audio or Video Cassettes and DVDs
5. Rare books and materials held in special collections