Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Books and articles not available at Barbour Library can often be borrowed from another library by submitting an Interlibrary Loan Request Form (ILL).
All current PTS faculty, staff, and students are eligible to use ILL services. However, persons with blocks on their library account due to fines, overdue books, or other reasons may be blocked from ILL services until the library account is cleared. Alumnae/i have limited ILL privileges if enrolled in a non-PTS graduate or post-graduate program.
Before requesting an ILL, please check our Catalog and Journals A-Z List to verify that we do not have the item.
Materials That Can Be Requested
ILL requests may be submitted for books, photocopies, or digital scans of journal articles and other materials that are relevant to your research. Please realize that rare books, audiovisual, microform, genealogical, and reference materials, as well as most theses and dissertations are not available for loan. Many libraries will not loan materials published in the last 6-12 months. Popular reading items should be requested or accessed at your local public library.
Potential Costs
The vast majority of our ILL requests are fulfilled free of charge; however, some research libraries charge a nominal fee (e.g., $2-$15) to copy and/or lend materials through Interlibrary Loan. This pertains especially to very large volumes, lengthy articles, and theses and dissertations. While we make every effort to obtain materials through libraries that do not charge, we encourage you to specify on the ILL form any amount you are willing to pay in order to receive the item. If you do not include an amount, items that are only available at libraries that charge will be unfilled.
Delivery, Pickup, and Returns
Most ILL requests are filled within one week. Nevertheless, please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery of materials. Pickup notices for books are either placed in your campus mailbox or e-mailed to you. Pickup your items at the Circulation Desk. Please return your item to the Circulation Desk by the due date printed on the ILL book band. Digital copies are yours to keep and use according to the publisher or copyright holder's policies.
Request Limits and Disruptions
ILL costs the library money for each transaction, therefore the library reserves the right to limit the number of ILL requests made by any person during a semester. Also, the library usually experiences disruptions in ILL service during holidays and staffing changes. If you notice that your ILL request is taking longer than usual, please contact the ILL Librarian.
Renewal
Most ILL items cannot be renewed. Check with the ILL librarian before the due date if you wish to renew an item.
For additional information, contact Mark Russell at mcrussell@pts.edu or 412-924-1393.
Library staff reserves the right to reject or revoke borrowing privileges at any time for any legitimate reason. These policies are revisited regularly and may be updated without notification.