Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary Loan is available to Georgia State University’s currently enrolled students, faculty and staff. Library accounts must be in good standing. Contact User Services at 404-413-2820 for assistance if your record is blocked. Other library users should contact their primary academic, public or corporate library for Interlibrary Loan services. GSU Law School students, staff and faculty should work with the Law Library.

1. Check the item’s availability in the Library Catalog and/or using the Find e-Journals links to make sure we don’t have it. For books, please also check for availability in the University System of Georgia Catalog to see if the book is available through GIL Express (this is typically faster). If you need help, contact a librarian.
2. Submit your request using ILLiad, our Interlibrary Loan system. You can also find links to ILLiad in through most of our databases when you use the “Find it @ GSU” button.
3. Sign into ILLIAD with your CampusID and password. First time users will be prompted for contact information.
4. Once signed in, select the type of item (book, article, book chapter, etc.) you want to request under “New Request.”

Please submit a separate request for each item. Use ILLiad to modify, track and cancel requests, request renewals, and view your request history.

We cannot guarantee a specific arrival time. Delivery times vary. Most books arrive in 1 to 2 weeks. Many articles take only 1 to 3 days. Some items take more than 2 weeks.

Please submit requests well in advance of deadlines, and check your ILLiad account for the status of your request. 

When an item is available, ILL will notify you through your Georgia State University email account. You can also monitor the status of your request by checking your account in ILLiad. 

Most articles and book chapters are delivered to you electronically via ILLiad. Other Interlibrary Loan materials can be picked up and returned to your campus library’s service desk, or at the pickup location you specified when you registered with ILLiad.

In most cases, the Interlibrary Loan service is free. We subsidize up to $50.00 of the cost of obtaining each item. If the cost will exceed $50.00 we notify you in advance. You are responsible for prompt payment of any overdue fines and/or replacement costs arising from your requests.

You may contact the ILL office to request a proxy account – a separate ILLiad account for others to place and retrieve requests on their behalf. Once your proxy account has been established, you will receive an email with the account’s username and password for you to distribute at your discretion. You will be responsible for the materials borrowed through this account. 

Interlibrary Loan requests for textbooks and required course readings for current courses will not be filled. The Library views the purchase of textbooks and other required readings as part of a student’s expected cost of pursuing a degree in higher education. 

The lending library specifies the length of the loan (usually 2 to 4 weeks), the conditions under which the material may be used (library use only, no copying, handle with care, etc.), and the possibility of renewals. Some libraries do not grant renewals, so prompt pick-up and use of materials is important. All borrowed material is subject to “recall” when a member of the lending institution needs it. If an item is recalled it is your responsibility to return it immediately. Patrons are responsible for using ILL materials carefully and returning them to a GSU Library promptly and in good condition.

Failure to adhere to ILL rules may result in loss of borrowing privileges for the borrower as well as the GSU Library.

1. Sign into ILLiad and select “Checked Out Items” from the “View” section on the left. A list of materials checked out to you will appear.
2. For each item you wish to renew, click the transaction number. This will bring up detailed information about the item.
3. Click “Renew Request.”

A successful renewal request automatically adds seven days to your due date to give us time to receive a response from the lending library. If they grant the renewal, we adjust your due date to reflect the amount of time they allowed and send you an email message. If they deny the renewal, we send you a message asking you to return the item closer to its original due date if possible.

ILLiad will not allow a renewal request under any of the following conditions:

• The lending library specified in advance that they will not grant a renewal on that item.
• The item’s due date is more than five days in the future or more than one day in the past.
• You have recently requested a renewal for the item and the lending library has not yet responded to the previous request.