Interlibrary Loan
*** Due to holiday closures the delivery time for many requests will be delayed into early January 2025. Please expect longer turnaround times. ***
There are several Interlibrary Loan (ILL) offices within the Columbia University Libraries system, each providing services to a specific university community. Please select your affiliation below to route a request to place, renew, or check the status of an ILL request to the appropriate office. First time users will need to create an ILL account.
NOTICE: WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) enables eligible Columbia University affiliates to borrow material from other libraries or obtain copies of articles or book chapters from titles that are not owned or available at Columbia University Libraries.
Columbia University Libraries also lends materials to patrons of other libraries through Institutional Borrowing and reciprocal lending arrangements.
Having trouble deciding between Borrow Direct and ILL? Compare services.
Students, faculty and staff affiliated with the Morningside or Barnard campus with borrowing privileges in good standing are eligible to use Interlibrary Loan services provided by Butler Library. Provost-appointed visiting scholars with borrowing privileges in good standing are also eligible for ILL.
Alumni, seminar associates and other individuals who have purchased library reading or borrowing privileges from the Library Information Office are not eligible.
Please consult the Libraries' Access Privileges for a full list of permissions by affiliation.
Eligibility: Please check Columbia University Libraries' Access Privileges for eligibility.
Loan Period: Both loan period and the ability to renew are designated by the owning institution. Please check either the paperwork or your ILL account to verify the due date and request a renewal as needed.
Recall: Please note all Interlibrary Loan materials are subject to recall by the lending institution. Most recalls are for books intended for Reserves. Please return all recalled items as soon as possible.
Return: New! Return items at *any* Columbia University Library circulation desk!
Turnaround Time: Items usually arrive within one to two weeks. An email notice will be sent to your Columbia email account when item is ready for pick-up. If you need a book, CD or DVD faster please check availability in Borrow Direct.
You can request a renewal for your ILL item provided it is not marked "No Renewals." Renewals are granted at the discretion of the lending library.
- Log in to your ILL account.
- Click on Checked Out under the ILL Request Summary section.
- Click on Renew for the item(s) you wish to renew.
You will receive an automated e-mail within a few days notifying you that your renewal was granted or denied. If a renewal was granted, the e-mail will include your new due date. If it was denied, you must return the book by the original due date.
E-mail: ill@library.columbia.edu
Phone: 212-854-7535