Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about ILLiad
Interlibrary Loan
- What is Interlibrary Loan?
- Who is eligible for Interlibrary Loan Service?
- What kind of items can be requested via Interlibrary Loan?
- How long will an InterLibrary Loan request take?
- Why is it that items requested from the same library sometimes arrive at different times?
- What does it cost to use Interlibrary Loan?
- Where do I pick up my Interlibrary Loan Requests?
- How do I contact the Interlibrary Loan office?
ILLiad
- What is ILLiad?
- Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?
- What if I forget my password?
- What Web browser should I use?
- Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?
- What is Electronic Delivery?
- Who do I contact if I have problems with, or questions about ILLiad?
What is Interlibrary Loan?
Interlibrary Loan is a service that enables UNO faculty, staff, students, UNO Alumni and Library Friends members with accounts in good standing to obtain items not owned by the Criss Library.
The Interlibrary Loan department requests items for loan from other University of Nebraska Libraries in addition to libraries throughout the United States and the world.
What kind of items can be requested via Interlibrary Loan?
Most Interlibrary loans are for books and copies of journal articles. We will attempt to fill orders for any type of material commonly found in a library. However, some materials are more difficult to obtain due to lending restrictions determined by the lending library. Most libraries will not lend current or entire journal or magazine issues, archival materials, reference or reserve materials, or newspapers in print format. Recently published textbooks and popular fiction are also difficult to obtain.
How long will an InterLibrary Loan request take?
On average, ILL can acquire books within two weeks, but may only take a few days. Articles typically arrive in less than a week. Turnaround time depends on the nature of the material requested, e.g. hard to find items, the number of libraries who own the item and which library owns it. For example, articles from a common journal are faster to obtain than items published overseas or unpublished technical reports. Rare or obscure items may take 6 to 12 weeks to obtain.
Requests for materials are sent to a string of five different libraries owning the requested item. If the first library cannot fill your request it is sent on to the second, then to the third and so on. All the situations below may result in a longer than expected turnaround time:
- Item is lost
- Item is currently checked-out
- Recently published material may not have been purchased and/or cataloged
- Item is non-circulating
- Entire journals, reserve materials, reference books, archival materials, special collections, newspapers,
- Some libraries will not loan masters thesis, dissertations, media material
NOTE: Even if a Library's catalog shows the status of an item as "Available," any of the above may still apply.
Who is eligible for Interlibrary Loan Service?
UNO faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students, UNO Alumni and Library Friends members with accounts in good standing are eligible for Interlibrary Loan Service and the use of the ILLiad system.
What does it cost to use Interlibrary Loan?
Most libraries do not charge a borrowing fee to use their materials. However, some materials, including dissertations and other rare items, will incur a charge. Criss Library makes every attempt to borrow from no-cost lenders. You will be asked on the request form if you are willing to pay, and if the materials require a charge, you are responsible for the fees.
Where do I pick up my Interlibrary Loan Requests?
Most article requests will be delivered to you electronically or sent to you in an email. For books and other physical items, you will be notified when they are available for pick up at the Criss Library Circulation Desk.
Please present valid I.D. at the Circulation Desk when picking up your materials.
How do I contact the Interlibrary Loan Office?
The Interlibrary Loan office is located on the main floor of Criss Library and is open 7:00a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. If you have any problems or questions, please contact John Schneiderman, Interlibrary Loan Assistant at (402) 554-3209.
What is ILLiad?
ILLiad is the electronic system you use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan. The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for InterLibrary Loan internet accessible database.
Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?
Your username and password allows us to give you secure access to information about your interlibrary loan requests. We can also enable you to edit your personal information such as your address or phone number.
For UNO students, faculty and staff your username will be your last name and your password will be your 8 - digit NU ID number. For UNO Alumni and Friends of the Library, your username will be your last name, first initial and your password will be your library card number.
No one but you will know your password, not even the library staff. The password you set is stored in an encrypted file.
What if I forget my password?
If you forget your password, contact John Schneiderman, Interlibrary Loan Assistant at (402) 554-3209.
What Web browser should I use?
You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We recommend the current version of Mozilla Firefox or Opera on Windows although Internet Explorer 7 has been tested. Mac users should use the latest version of Safari, Camino, or Firefox. Linux users should also use Firefox or Opera.
Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?
From time to time we purge older records from ILLiad. Our policy is to keep requests online for several years order to comply with record keeping requirements of the copyright law.
What is electronic delivery?
Most libraries provide photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. Through ILLiad, we are able to offer you the electronic delivery of these articles in PDF format (Adobe's Portable Document Format). If an article is unavailable in electronic format, a photocopy will be obtained and held for you at the Library’s Circulation Desk.
Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about ILLiad?
The Interlibrary Loan office is open 7:00a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. If you have any problems or questions, please contact John Schneiderman in the ILL office at (402) 554-3209. For technical support questions please contact Nick Hansen at (402) 554-3122.