Interlibrary loan may take 2-7 business days for articles, and 5-10 business days for books to arrive.
Create an Interlibrary Loan request
Interlibrary Loan Basics
The University Library’s interlibrary loan (ILL) service supports the instructional, research, and scholarly activities of the Washington & Lee community by borrowing library materials from other institutions in Virginia, the United States, and throughout the world. In turn, this service lends library materials to other institutions worldwide.
- Requests for recreational reading and textbooks are not permitted.
- Check our library system to determine if we own the material you need. Items that are checked out or have a status of “missing” or “on search” may be ordered through ILL.
- If the library has electronic access to a journal article you seek, you will be notified by our ILL staff. Check our Journal Search first to determine if we own the title you need.
- This ILL service is for the undergraduate campus only. Service to alumni may be available. Please inquire with Elizabeth Teaff for more information.
- Law students, staff, and faculty contact the Law Library’s ILL unit.
- ILL is free for current W&L faculty, staff, and students. Fines may be charged for overdue materials. For non-W&L community members, limited interlibrary loan privileges are available to members of the Friends of the Library. Restrictions apply, contact Elizabeth Teaff for more information.
Delivery & Turnaround Time
It may take 2-7 business days for articles, and 5-10 business days for books to arrive. Our average turn-around time is 5 business days. Please keep this time-frame in mind when ordering your material. You will be notified via email that your ILL books are available at Leyburn Library. Most articles are delivered electronically.
Due Dates
Books, videos, CDs, and microforms have a due date written on them. Please honor the due date. Fines may be charged for late returns. Do not remove the book strap on your item(s). Return ILL items to the Leyburn Information Desk. Photocopied and scanned articles articles may be kept.
Electronic Articles
The email notification you receive when your article has arrived will explain how to view it. Adobe Reader is required. If needed;
download the latest version of this free software. If you are having trouble viewing your article contact us.
Copyright Compliance
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law,libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of the specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction not be “used for any other purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be in violation of W&L’s
copyright policy. Our institution reserves the right to refuse a copy request if, in its judgment, fulfilling the request would violate copyright law. Please refer to the W&L Copyright Policy for more information.
Questions
Contact Elizabeth Teaff, Associate University Librarian for Access and Discovery