Frequently Asked Questions about ILLiad and Interlibrary Loan

Using Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery

How does Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery work?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) allows you to obtain materials from other libraries (including other WFU campus libraries), while a request for materials owned by Carpenter Library is known as Document Delivery. Requests for both may be made through ILLiad, our online request portal. Books and other “returnable” materials are picked up at, and should only be returned to, the Carpenter Library Service Desk. Articles will be posted as PDFs to your ILLiad account.

Who can use ILLiad?

Students, faculty and staff at Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, or Wake Forest Baptist Health-affiliated hospitals may use ILL. Area health care professionals may also request articles for a fee (see price list). All patrons requesting document delivery and interlibrary loan services should first register in ILLiad. Do not allow other people to use your account, as you alone are responsible for all items on your account. Faculty and staff should submit requests for non-work-related materials to the public library or their school library, if they are taking courses at an outside institution.

How do I create a username and password?

When registering with ILLiad, you will be asked to create a username and password that will enable you to log on to your account and access our services. If you forget your username or password, please contact the Document Delivery Department at 336-716-4378 and we will be glad to help.

Is there a fee for Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Loan Services?

Patrons affiliated with Wake Forest School of Medicine, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and affiliated institutions are not charged for interlibrary loans unless they incur fines for overdue materials. In a typical year, however, the library pays substantial borrowing and shipping charges, so we ask that you exercise reasonable restraint when placing requests so we can continue to underwrite this service for you. In particular, please request only what you truly need, remember to pick up items that are held for you, retrieve and view articles that are delivered to your ILLiad account promptly, and return loaned books on time. If you have requested an article or book and obtain the material on your own before your interlibrary loan is received, please let us know immediately so we can cancel any requests in process.

How long does it take to get copies or loans?

Unless our workload is unusually high, requests for articles from our collection submitted before 2 pm are generally supplied on the same day. Requests received after that time will be filled later that day or early the next morning.
Interlibrary loan turnaround time varies, but we are able to fill up to 80% of our article requests within 2 working days. The remaining 20% may take a week or longer, especially hard-to-locate titles. Books from non-WFU libraries generally take a week or more to arrive, depending on how many libraries own the title and the type of mail service used by the lending library. Current-year textbooks and review books may be not be available for interlibrary loan, as they are usually in high demand in their home libraries.

What happened to articles/chapters I have previously viewed?

PDF copies of electronic articles and book chapters are retained for 30 days and will be automatically deleted after that time to comply with copyright requirements concerning electronic storage. It is best to retrieve them as soon as they are available and then save them somewhere safe so you do not lose access to them. Due to copyright laws, additional copies may not be able to be re-requested after the 30 day limit.

What should I do if a page is missing or illegible?

If any part of your document is missing or hard to read, please contact the ILL office immediately at 336-716-4378 or docdel@wakehealth.edu so we can request a better copy. After several weeks have passed, most libraries insist that defective articles be re-ordered, incurring a second charge.

Copyright and Licensing

Why was my request cancelled “due to copyright restrictions”?

We fully comply with all provisions of Title 17, United States Code (Section 108C). This institution reserves the right to cancel requests that we deem to be in potential violation of copyright law. In addition, we and our lending partners must comply with the licensing agreements that are associated with all electronic resources including journal databases and e-books.

Required Fields and Incomplete Citations

What does “unable to verify your request as cited” mean?

Incorrect or incomplete citations make it difficult for us to provide what you need. Every ILLiad request form has required fields that are the minimum needed in order to research your request. Please check every field for accuracy before submitting your request. We will make every effort to verify and obtain requested material with the information you give us, but requests that contain incomplete or incorrect citations may be returned with a note asking for more information.

Renewals

May I renew my ILL item?

Renewal requests may (or may not) be granted at the discretion of the lending library. Some of our lending libraries do not allow renewals, and this should be reflected by a “No Renewals” statement on your attached book band. If the band says “Yes” in the “Renewals considered?” field, this simply means that we can ask for a renewal on your behalf. It does not guarantee a renewal and we will contact you with the lending library's response. The optimal time to ask for a renewal is 5 days prior to the due date. Once a book is overdue, it may not be renewed.

How do I request a renewal?

Log on to your ILLiad account. On the left side of the screen under “View Existing Requests”, click on "Renew & Review Loans." From this list, click on the underlined transaction number link, located to the left of the title. If a renewal request will be considered, "Renew Request" will appear above the transaction information. Click on this link. The message "Item renewed with a due date of xx/xx/20XX" will appear. The book is temporarily renewed for one week while we wait for the lending library to respond. Doing this several days prior to the due date will maximize your chances of receiving an authorization for a renewal.

Textbooks

Current-year textbooks and review books are generally either in high demand or on reserve in their home libraries, so they are unlikely to be available for loan. Loans are generally made for short periods, so we strongly discourage requests for required WFSM textbooks. Textbook requests for courses taken outside this institution should be submitted to the interlibrary loan department at your school or your public library.

Media: Videos/DVDs/CDs

May I request videos, DVDs and CDs?

Requests for popular videos, DVDs and CDs can be difficult to source and may be returned unfilled. Remember that requests may only be made for materials necessary for your academic research purposes and not for personal entertainment. Keep in mind that the loan period is usually one week or less, and these materials are often restricted by the lending library to remain in Carpenter Library.

Newspapers

How do I find or request articles from newspapers?

Many newspapers are online or in databases for which the library has subscriptions. Please check our online resources and news and current event resources to see if you can find what you need. If we don't subscribe to the cited newspaper, submit an article request to ILLiad and we will obtain it for you.

Loan Periods, Overdue Books, and Blocked Accounts

How long may I keep my ILL items?

The loan period for borrowed books and other items is determined by the lending library. It varies from library to library and for types of materials. Your due date can be found in the transaction record in your ILLiad account and on the book band.  

What if my item is overdue?

It is extremely important that ILL items are returned on time, so we can maintain cooperative relationships with our lending partners. Overdue notices are sent to the email account you provided during registration. First, second, and third notices are sent individually and, on the third notice, your ILLiad account is automatically blocked.

Once an item is overdue, you are subject to non-refundable charges. A pattern of having overdue items may lead to a suspension of your interlibrary loan privileges.

Why is my ILLiad account blocked?

Accounts are blocked for a number of reasons. Most often, they are blocked because of overdue items. Accounts are also blocked if a patron is no longer enrolled or employed at WFSM/WFBMC or if incorrect or incomplete registration information is submitted and we are unable to contact the patron to resolve the issue. Please contact us if you have questions concerning your blocked account.

Request Status Explanations

1. AWAITING REQUEST PROCESSING: We are attempting to locate a source to fill your request.
2. REQUEST SENT: Your request has been sent to another library asking them to supply it.
3. AWAITING CUSTOMER CONTACT: Your interlibrary loan has arrived and you will be receiving a notification, shortly.
4. CHECKED OUT TO CUSTOMER: Your book/loan can be picked up at the Carpenter Library Service Desk, and we have sent you an email with that message. We will hold it for two weeks. If you cannot get to the library that soon, please contact us and we will be happy to hold the item longer for you.
5. DELIVERED TO WEB: Your article has been scanned and is stored on the server, ready for you to log on to your ILLiad account and retrieve it. It will remain on the server for 30 days. It is best practice, however, to retrieve it as soon as it is available and then save it somewhere safe so that you do not lose access to it. Due to copyright laws, items cannot be re-requested after the 30 day limit.
6. RECALLED – PLEASE RETURN: The lending library has requested that the item be returned to them immediately. This happens infrequently, but when it does it is essential that you return the book as quickly as possible. You can request it again from a different lender if you still need it urgently.
7. BLOCKED: Your ILLiad account has been blocked. Please contact us if you have questions about this status.

Instructions for Other Libraries

Libraries that wish to place an ILL request with us should use OCLC or Docline to submit requests. Our OCLC code is NBG and our Docline symbol is NCUBOW. All requests are processed within 24 hours of receipt during regular business hours.

Whom do I contact if I have problems with, or questions about ILLiad and Interlibrary Loan services?

Call the Interlibrary Loan office at 336-716-4378 or e-mail us at docdel@wakehealth.edu. Our normal office hours are M – F, 8 to 5.
Refer to additional Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery policies.