Interlibrary Loan
Purpose & eligibility:
- Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a free service to obtain materials & scanned documents that are not available at Columbia University Libraries.
- It may be used by all Columbia University students, staff, and faculty. For more information about library privileges see Borrow, Request, Renew.
- Requests are delivered in 1-2 weeks (often faster). 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.
Loan Period: Circulating materials have a sixteen (16) week, non-renewable loan period. Note: some materials are In-Library Use Only, per stipulation of the lending institution. Loans obtained via Medical Center Campus will have variable loan periods assigned by the lending institution.
Recalls: Please note all Interlibrary Loan materials are subject to recall by the lending institution. Most recalls are for books intended for Course Reserves. Please return all recalled items as soon as possible.
Hold Period: You will be notified by email when your request is available for pick-up. All items will be held for 7 days at the selected delivery locations.
Return: All materials borrowed from Columbia University Libraries may be returned to any of the service desks during open service hours or outdoor book bins. For more information about returning items in person or by mail, please visit Returns.
Turnaround Time: Items usually arrive within 1-2 weeks. An email notice when the item is ready for pick-up.
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