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  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 can be made via WebCat. You need to logon with 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.

Alternatively,  can be downloaded in pdf format or paper forms are available from each site. They can be submitted at any site but will be forwarded to your 'home' site for processing and collection.

If you're unclear about what information to include or how much detail is required, here are some 

Please ensure you:

  • fill in all **Required Fields**
  • read and understand the copyright statement and sign the copyright declaration when necessary. Unfortunately, current copyright legislation does not recognise electronic signatures. We do therefore require a written signature when necessary. Further help is also available from our page on .

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:

ILL quotas
School/Group Staff/RPG  TPG/UG
ISVR 10 2
Chemistry 10 2
CEET 10 2
ECS 25 5
Engineering Sciences 12 4
Geography 10 2
Mathematics 16 5
SOES 25 2/1
Physics 25 5
ORC 12
Art  25 8
Education 18 7/4
Humanities 25 8
Law 16 1
Management 25 10/5
Social Sciences 20 5
Biological Sciences 15 1
Health Sciences 15 10/3
Medicine 30 10/2
Psychology 10 2/0
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 cash.

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. We encourage correspondence by email. (Please check your site link below for variations)

Collecting/receiving ILLs

Book loans are 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. (Please check your site link below for variations).

ILL loan periods

Loan items will have a date for return inside. This is usually for 3-4 weeks. The British Library allows three weeks plus a further three weeks automatic renewal unless the item is requested by another reader. This is now the norm for most items.  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 ILLs 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 £3.50 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. 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.

Penalties for overdue items
Overdue Penalty
1 day An overdue reminder will be sent to you
7 days A final overdue notice will be sent and your account will be suspended.  This will last for 7 days from the date you return the item
14 days You will be invoiced for the standard replacement cost of ILLs, currently £133.50

Inter-library loans at each site: