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How do I request to borrow an item that is not owned by the BC Libraries?

How do I request to borrow an item that is not owned by the BC Libraries?

If the BC Libraries do not own a book you wish to borrow, you can make a request for the book through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).  Make sure you give yourself enough time to retrieve the book, as the ILL request can take several weeks to process.  For other ILL-related questions (including how to request an article), please see this list of FAQs on the BC Libraries' website.

Any easy way to submit an ILL request is to do the following:

  1. Go to WorldCat Discovery
  2. Search for the item you are seeking in the search bar.
  3. Open the record for the item you are seeking by clicking on its title.  If what you are seeking is an article in a journal, you will need to search by the journal title.
  4. Expand the "Check Availability" section and click on button labeled "Request item."  (See screenshot below.)
  5. You will be asked to login to Illiad using your BC credentials and complete the ILL request form.  (Note that you will need to specify where you would like to pick up the book.  If you are not located near campus and cannot retrieve the book from a library, indicate that you are a remote user in the drop-down menu for "Select pickup location." A staff member will contact you about making arrangements for getting the item to you.)
  6. You will receive an email notification when the book is available for you to retrieve from the BC Libraries.

ILL Request Item button