Inter–Library Loans
As not everything you need is held in our own collections, the inter-library loan service obtains items not available from our own stock. We endeavour to find those items and make them available to you.
SED: desktop delivery of ILL articles
Articles requested from the British Library (our main supplier) can be delivered to your desktop using the SED (secure electronic delivery) service. Further information on this new service can be found on our SED web page.
We recommend this service as the best option for requests for part of a publication (such as an article) both on cost, speed of delivery and convenience.
Who can use this service?
All members of the University, Southampton University Hospital Trust (SUHT) and NERC staff. It is not available to External Borrowers.
Costs
Each School has an annual allocation from the Library to spend on inter-library loans. Actual costs vary according to the item and supplier. Individuals using this service have an ILL quota, a number of ILL requests for each academic year.
Before applying
- Check the Library catalogues to make sure we don't have the item you require. (This includes all University of Southampton libraries).
- Is the article available electronically? Many electronic journals now exist. You can visit the E-resources section of the Library website to see a list to which the Library subscribes and details of access to other service providers.
How to request an ILL
Requests are made using WebCat. You need to logon with your User Name & Password or your User ID & PIN to access the ILL service. Click on Requests: Inter-library Loan & Stack to see a choice of requests. A how to request ILLs guide is available for advice on placing requests. If you are unclear about what information to include or how much detail is required, here are some ILL reference tips
Please ensure you:
- fill in all **Required Fields**
- read and understand the copyright statement. By finally submitting your request you are agreeing to the copyright declaration.
ILL quotas
Each individual is allocated a fixed number of inter-library loan requests for each academic year. You are only able to apply for an ILL if you have sufficient requests available from your quota. These figures are a guide, not a right. The quotas are:
| Staff | PGR | PGT | UG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Business and Law | ||||
| Art | 25 | 25 | 8 | 8 |
| Law | 16 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| Management | 25 | 25 | 10 | 5 |
| Faculty of Engineering and the Environment | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| Faculty of Health Sciences | 15 | 15 | 10 | 3 |
| Faculty of Humanities | 15 | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| Faculty of Medicine | 30 | 30 | 10 | 2 |
| Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences | ||||
| Biological Sciences | 15 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| Chemistry | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| Ocean & Earth Sciences | 25 | 25 | 2 | 1 |
| Faculty of Physical and Applied Science | ||||
| ECS | 25 | 25 | 5 | 5 |
| ORC | 12 | 12 | ||
| Physics & Astronomy | 25 | 25 | 5 | 5 |
| Faculty of Social and Human Sciences | ||||
| Education | 18 | 18 | 7 | 4 |
| Geography & Environment | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| Mathematics | 16 | 16 | 5 | 5 |
| Psychology | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Social Sciences | 20 | 20 | 5 | 5 |
| Prof. Services | 5 | |||
| SUHT | 30 | |||
| NERC | Unlimited |
It may be possible to negotiate additional ILL requests with your School or you can fund requests from, e.g. your own research funds or pay yourself.
How long will my request take to supply?
We use a variety of different suppliers. Some requests are supplied very quickly, others take much longer, generally from 1 to 10 days. We will keep in regular contact with you while attempting to supply your request.
Notification on arrival
- Articles obtained as electronic copies (via SED) will be sent direct to your e-mail address
- If a book loan, we will notify you using your preferred means of contact when the item is available.
Collecting/receiving ILLs
Book loans are normally collected from Loans Desks. You will be asked to sign a receipt. Most loans may be taken out of the Library, but some, e.g. theses, are restricted to use in the Library only.
ILL loan periods
Loan items will have a date for return inside. This is usually for 3-4 weeks. Many books supplied from other libraries are supplied for reference use only within our library, i.e. they cannot be removed from the building.
ILLs in demand can be recalled with the original loan date shortened. We will always inform you if this happens.
Please note items supplied by ILL must never be taken out of the country.
Renewals
Our renewals policy is one renewal per request.
If you need a renewal please contact us before the date originally due. There is an additional cost for a renewal (currently £4.15 per item). Renewal loan periods from items supplied by the British Library are now typically another two weeks. With each renewal, your ILL quota will be reduced by one.
Returning ILLs
As ILL items do not belong to us, it is very important that we return them on time. To assist you in this, a courtesy reminder notice is sent to you the day before your item is due for return. Please return loaned ILLs to your home library. Please note that return postage for items you return to us by post must be paid by you.
| Overdue | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1 day | An overdue reminder will be sent to you. Your record is suspended for 7 days from the date the item is returned. |
| 3 days | A final reminder notice will be sent. |
| 14 days | You will be invoiced for the standard replacement cost of ILLs, currently £169.92 |
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