Requesting Books & Videos (Interlibrary Loan)
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) allows current students, faculty, and staff of Saint Mary's University to request books and videos from other libraries.
Arrival Time & Notification | Costs | Request a Book | Renew / Check Status
Arrival Time & Notification
- Books available from Minnesota libraries take approximately three to four business days to arrive to TC Library.
- Books requested from out-of-state libraries can take up to three weeks to arrive to TC Library.
- When the item has arrived, you will receive an email notification 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 a Book (ILL)
You can request books from other libraries using either the MnPALS catalog or Request a Book form. See the links below to learn how.
MnPALS catalog | Request a Book form
Requesting a book using the MnPALS catalog
NOTE: Saint Mary's University Winona Campus (Fitzgerald Library) books and videos cannot be requested in the MnPALS Plus catalog. To request Winona books and videos, you must manually enter the item's information into the Request a Book Form.
Step 1: If you find an item in the catalog that you'd like to request through interlibrary loan, click on Login within the item record. Your username is the 14-digit barcode from your student ID card, and your password is your last name.
Step 2: Click on Request. A request form pop-up will appear.
Step 3: The request form will be pre-filled for you, including the Not Needed After date. If you do not take classes at the Twin Cities campus, you can request that we mail the item to you once it arrives. To make this request, please make a note in the Notes field. To submit the request, click on Create ILL Request. A confirmation pop-up will appear. When your requested item arrives, you will receive an email notification asking you to pick up your item at the Saint Mary's TC library.
Requesting a book using the Request a Book form
Step 1: If you want to request an item that you are not able to find in the catalog, you can request it using our Request a Book form. To access the form, begin at the library's homepage. Click on Library Quick Links and choose Request a Book. You will be prompted to log in. Your username is the 14-digit barcode from your student ID card, and your password is your last name.
Step 2: Fill out as much information as you have about the item you are requesting. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required. Click on Go. A confirmation pop-up will appear. When your requested item arrives, usually within 7-10 business days, you will receive an email notification asking you to pick up your item at the Saint Mary's TC library.
Renew / Check a Request's Status
Step 1: To renew / check the status of an Interlibrary Loan request, begin at the library's homepage. Click on Library Quick Links and choose My Library Account. You will be prompted to log in. Your username is the 14-digit barcode from your student ID card, and your password is your last name.
Step 2: Select the Interlibrary Loan Requests tab.
Step 3: Your Interlibrary Loan requests will be listed. The status of each request and the due date for received items are displayed. You can cancel or renew your requests on this page, or use the View button to show request details.
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