Interlibrary Loan Service Tips

  • Citation accuracy must be verified before the Rensselaer Libraries issue a request to another library or provider.
  • Citations from research databases as well as references from referred journals or carefully edited books are usually accurate.
  • Citations appearing in trade publications, theses, technical reports or conference papers are sometimes incomplete.
  • If requesting a publication cited in a bibliography, do not abbreviate the title; or, if the title is abbreviated, do not "translate" the abbreviation.
  • If the citation cannot be verified, you will be contacted to provide additional information.
  • If you have difficulty locating information about a publication, contact the Libraries' Reference Staff for assistance.
  • You can avoid most service delays by reviewing your interlibrary loan requests to make sure that you have:
    • Accurately transcribed information about authors, titles, volumes, issues, and dates
    • Noted the source of the information about the requested publication
    • Indicated if you are willing to pay minimum document costs of at least $10 - $15 above library subsidy per request if "free" copies cannot be located
  • Allow for delivery times of two to three weeks or more if publications, especially books, are not available locally.

Library staff will retrieve and scan in-house copies of journal articles or conference papers for Rensselaer-affiliated users who submit their requests through ILLiad, the Libraries' Interlibrary Loan Service.

Back to top