Do you need an item that the University of Alabama Libraries does not own? We can try to get it for you. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and Document Delivery are services provided by the University Libraries to support scholarly research and curriculum needs. Current faculty, students, and staff are eligible to borrow materials from libraries around the world. The University Libraries subsidizes the costs of the service for our users.
What is the difference between ILL and Document Delivery?
We use ILL to borrow or obtain an item from another institution. Books and other kinds of physical materials must be returned to the institution. Journal articles are most often scanned and sent to the person who requested the item and do not need to be returned.
We use document delivery in two ways. One is when we are unable to find a journal article via ILL. We may be able to purchase the article and pay royalty and copyright fees.
On campus, we deliver items held by UA libraries and the Annex either electronically or to a campus library.
This video will walk you through the steps to request materials through UA Libraries' Interlibrary Loan service.