KU students in good standing with a valid KUID are eligible for borrowing items from non-KU Libraries at no cost through our InterLibrary Borrowing service.
What can be requested through InterLibrary Borrowing?
Requests may be made for items that are currently unavailable from the KU Libraries (checked out, missing, declared lost, etc.) or are not owned by the KU Libraries. Submit your requests through WebRetrieve for anything that supports your class and research needs.
Items available through Interlibrary Loan include :
Books
Book Chapters
Journal Articles
Microfilm or Microfiche items
Conference Proceedings
Theses, Dissertations or Reports
Audio/Visual Materials
Note: Some libraries will not lend certain types of materials, making them difficult to obtain on loan. Often it depends
on the lending libraries' policies.
How do I place an Interlibrary Borrowing request?
How do I get the items I requested?
If you requested an article or book chapter, you will be sent an email alerting you when the scanned, electronic copy of the article/chapter is available via WebRetrieve. If the item is a loaned item in print or other material, you will be able to choose whether to pick it up at one of the KU Libraries Service Desks or, if eligible, may be able to request Home Delivery (see Home Delivery tab, above, for more information).
Full details regarding InterLibrary Borrowing of materials can be found at https://lib.ku.edu/services/request/interlibrary.
While the Library Catalog can tell you whether the Library has a particular journal title, it cannot tell you what articles are in a journal. An article index or database allows you to search thousands of issues of different periodicals to find matches for your search terms.
Databases vary as to what types of materials they include. A database can index scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, books, dissertations, and other types of materials.
Electronic scans of articles and book chapters from KU owned journals, books and other materials are available through our Document Delivery service.
How do I place a Document Delivery request?
How long will it take to receive my articles?
Articles will be ready within three working days if the requested item is on the shelf. Turnaround time excludes weekends and public holidays.
How do I get the articles I requested?
What items are NOT eligible for Document Delivery?
FInd more information regarding Document Delivery at https://lib.ku.edu/services/request/document-delivery.