Interlibrary Loan Services from the Julia Tutwiler Library provide UWA distance education students with materials from our own library as well as other libraries. The Library also lends its own materials to other libraries worldwide. ILL services are a privilege that lending libraries grant to us to facilitate research. When UWA borrows from other libraries we are accepting responsibility for the care and prompt return of the borrowed materials. It is for this reason, all persons requesting to use ILL privileges are expected to be familiar with the Library's ILL policy.

Back to Top

FAQ's

Who may use UWA interlibrary loan services?
Currently enrolled UWA students, faculty, and staff may request materials through our ILL services.

How do I make an ILL request?
Requests for books will need an author name and full title. Other information, such as the publisher and date of publication, can eliminate processing delays. 

Requests for articles require an author name, journal title, title of article, page numbers, volume, issue, and date of the periodical.

Please include the most information possible in your requests.

For further instructions click here.

Do I have to pay for ILL materials?

Through reciprocal and resource sharing agreements, there is no charge for books or photocopies requested from member institutions of the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries (NAAL), or other institutions with which we hold reciprocal agreements. If the material you request can not be obtained through a reciprocal lender, there may be a charge. Charges for books and photocopies are usually at least $10.00. Borrowers are responsible for all charges by the lending library, regardless of when the item becomes available. If you do not want to pay for an item, please enter -0- in the appropriate space on the request form.

When will the materials arrive?
ILL materials take an average of five days, if they are processed by our reciprocal Alabama lenders. When materials must come from out of state the process is longer and may take up to a month. Please speak with the ILL department if you need materials quickly. We can not guarantee dates of arrival, therefore it is prudent to place your request early.  Please also consider mailing time from our library to you.

Receiving and returning ILL materials
All requests will be mailed to the address on the request.
ILL photocopies may be kept by the patron. Books must be returned by the date indicated on the yellow band.

Can ILL materials be renewed?
Renewals are granted by the lending institution. Requests for renewals must be made at least three days prior to the due date.  Renewal request are only accepted via the ILL Online Renewal Request Form on the Library web site.  Please see the Interlibrary Loan Renewal Policy for more information.

Are there fines for ILL materials?
ILL borrowers have a seven day grace period to return ILL material. After the seventh day a fine of $1.00 per day for EVERY day past the due date will be assessed.

Can you lose your ILL borrowing privileges?
As stated in our ILL policy, the UWA Library reserves the right to suspend or withdraw interlibrary loan services because of patron abuse, (e.g., consistently returning material late, excessive loss of material, etc). The parameters of UWA ILL service are governed by the current copyright law and guidelines, the National Interlibrary Loan Code, the lending library's policy, the NAAL Resource Sharing Program policies, and the UWA Library policies and procedures

Back to Top

Interlibrary Loan Policy

The purpose of ILL (Interlibrary Loan) service for Distance Education at UWA is to make materials available to students.

With certain exceptions, most types of material may be requested through ILL. The lending library determines whether an item can be provided. Items not obtainable through ILL include: rare materials, archives, reference materials, and bulky or fragile materials. Many libraries do not lend audio-visual materials, recordings, or recently published books. Please consult with the ILL department regarding these items.

Incomplete requests will not be processed.

Undergraduate students are requested to limit their borrowing to ten items at a time.

It is not recommended that you use ILL as a method of obtaining textbooks.

Through reciprocal and resource sharing agreements, there is no charge for books or photocopies requested from member institutions of the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries (NAAL), or other institutions with which we hold reciprocal agreements. If the material you request can not be obtained through a reciprocal lender, there may be a charge. Charges for books and photocopies average $10.00. Borrowers are responsible for all charges by the lending library, regardless of when the item becomes available, even if the item is not picked up from the Library. If you do not want to pay for an item, please enter -0- in the appropriate space on the request form.

The average time to fill an ILL through a NAAL lender in-state is 5 days. This does not guarantee you will receive your materials by this time. If we need to use an out of state or non-reciprocal lender, the process may take a few weeks. During high volume times, such as the end of a term, materials take longer to receive. Please take this into consideration when requesting materials to ensure you will receive material when needed.

All ILL materials must be returned by the date indicated. ILL borrowers have a 7-day grace period to return materials. After the seventh day a fine of $1.00 per day for every day past the due date, including the grace period, will be charged.

Renewals may be requested and are granted at the discretion of the lending library. ILL renewal requests can only be made through the ILL department.  Renewal request will only be accepted via the ILL Online Renewal Request Form.  Please make renewal requests at least three days in advance of the due date. For further details on ILL renewals please see the ILL Renewal Policy.

Photocopied ILL materials may be kept by the patron. Please return all other ILL materials to the Library circulation desk. Do not place ILL materials in the outside book drop.

The UWA Library reserves the right to suspend or withdraw interlibrary loan services because of patron abuse, (e.g., consistently returning material late, excessive loss of material, etc). The parameters of UWA ILL service are governed by the current copyright law and guidelines, the National Interlibrary Loan Code, the lending library's policy, the NAAL Resource Sharing Program policies, and the UWA Library policies and procedures.

For complete information on interlibrary loan services, see Sheila Limerick in the ILL Office on the first floor of the Tutwiler Library, or call 652-3626.

Back to Top

Renewal requests for interlibrary loan materials are only accepted via the ILL Online Renewal Request Form.

If a book is from Auburn University no renewal can be given. If the band on the book has "No renewal" checked, no renewal can be given. Only one renewal per book may be given.

It is recommended that a renewal be requested at least three days in advance. Some libraries will not renew books on or after their due dates.

Once a renewal is requested, it may be assumed that there is a one month renewal. Only if the request is denied or a different amount of time is allowed, will you be contacted.

The UWA Library reserves the right to suspend or withdraw interlibrary loan services because of patron abuse, e.g. consistently returning material late, excessive loss or damage of material, etc. The parameters of the interlibrary loan service are governed by the current copyright law and guidelines, the National Interlibrary Loan Code, the lending library's policy, the NAAL Resource Sharing Program policies, and the UWA Library policies and procedures.

For complete information on interlibrary loan services, see Sheila Limerick,  or call the ILL office at 652-3626.

Back to Top

Need to contact the Interlibrary Loan Office?

Back to Top