Requesting Articles (Interlibrary Loan)
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) allows current students, faculty, and staff of Saint Mary's University to request articles, videos, and books from other libraries. Learn how to request articles below.
Arrival Time & Notification | Costs | Request an Article | Check a Request's Status
Arrival Time & Notification
- Articles available from Minnesota libraries take approximately 2-4 business days to arrive to your Saint Mary's Webmail account.
- Articles only available from out-of-state libraries can take up to two weeks to arrive to your Saint Mary's Webmail account.
- The article will be emailed directly to your Saint Mary's Webmail account.
Costs
Most items requested via Interlibrary Loan are provided at no charge. However, in the event there is a charge imposed by the lending library, the library staff will contact you and wait for acceptance of the charges before proceeding with the request.
Request an Article (Interlibrary Loan)
There are two ways to request articles through Interlibrary Loan:
- If you found an article in the library databases that is not available in full text, you can request it by following links within the database.
- If you know the article that you want but you are unable to find it through Journals A-Z, you can fill out a blank Request an Article form.
Learn how to request articles from other libraries, using the:
Library Databases | Request an Article Form
Requesting an Article: Library Databases
Step 1:
If you find an article in a database that is not available in full text, click the Full Text Options – Saint Mary’s University link (see below). This link will take you to the database that has your article or to an Interlibrary Loan request form. If Full Text Options – Saint Mary’s University is not available in the database you are searching, use Journals A-Z to determine availability at Saint Mary’s.
Step 2:
A new window will appear, listing your article’s availability in the databases. If you see a database listed, follow the link to find your article. In the example shown, the article is not available at the Twin Cities Library, so you would select the link Request this item from another library to order the article through Interlibrary Loan.
Step 3:
A new window will appear, prompting you to log into your library account. Your username is the 14-digit barcode on your Saint Mary's ID card, and your password is your last name.
Step 4:
The request form will be filled out for you. Mark the copyright agreement box at the bottom of the form and click Go.
Step 5:
A confirmation pop-up will appear. You can check the status of your request by logging into My Library Account. When your article arrives, it will be emailed to your Saint Mary’s email account as an attached PDF document or as a link.
Requesting an Article: Request an Article Form
Step 1:
If you want to request an article that you were not able to find in the databases or through Journals A-Z, you can request it using our Request an Article form.
To access the form, begin at the library's homepage. Mouseover Library Quick Links and choose Request an Article. You will be prompted to login. Your username is the 14-digit barcode from your student ID card, and your password is your last name.
Step 2:
You'll see a blank request form. Fill in the following fields.
- Journal Title
- Journal Year
- Journal Volume
- Journal Issue
- Author Name
- Article Title
- Article Page Numbers
Step 3:
Mark the copyright agreement box at the bottom of the form and click Go.
Step 4:
A confirmation pop-up will appear. You can check the status of your request by logging into My Library Account. When your article arrives, it will be emailed to your Saint Mary’s email account as an attached PDF document or as a link.
Checking the status of Interlibrary Loan requests
Step 1: To check the status of an Interlibrary Loan request, begin at the library's homepage. Mouseover the Library Quick Links and choose My Library Account. You will be prompted to login. Your username is the 14-digit barcode from your student ID card, and your password is your last name.
Step 2: You will be on the Checked Out Items tab. Select the ILL Requests tab.
Step 3: Your Interlibrary Loan requests will be listed. The status of each request is displayed. You can renew or cancel your requests on this page.
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