FAQ: Frequently asked questions
Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery
- What services does the interlibrary loan offer and who can use the interlibrary loan?
- What is not available via interlibrary loan?
- How do I order a book via interlibrary loan?
- What can I do if the item I am looking for cannot be found in any catalogue/database?
- How can I order journal articles via interlibrary loan?
- How will I be notified of the arrival of interlibrary loans?
- How long is the loan period and can I renew items borrowed via interlibrary loan?
- Can I make reservations for interlibrary loans?
- How much do interlibrary loans cost?
- Are there restrictions to the use of items borrowed via interlibrary loan?
- Is there a quicker way to order items than the interlibrary loan system?
- What services does the document delivery service offer?
- I have questions about or problems with the interlibrary loan, who can I contact?
What services does the interlibrary loan offer and who can use the interlibrary loan?
Interlibrary loans are transacted via Digital Library (DigiBib).
With your library card, you can order items which are not in stock via interlibrary loan, document delivery services.
The ordered item will be delivered to Dortmund University Library. You will be notified of its arrival and you can collect it at the lending services.
The terms for interlibrary loan in Germany are set down in the Interlibrary Loan Terms of Use (Leihverkehrsordnung). The terms of use determine which items are excluded from interlibrary loan, for instance:- Items which are in stock at Dortmund University Library. If you order an item which is in stock here, you will receive a notification alerting you to the fact that it is locally available.
- Valuable and rare items.
- Loose-leaf editions and unbound periodicals.
- Electronic resources.
- ...
Please note:
- Students of the co-operating Universities of Applied Science Dortmund, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen and Südwestfalen can use the interlibrary loan.
- Students of other universities of North Rhine-Westphalia are asked to order interlibrary loans via their home university.
- Minors and persons whose user status is limited to that effect must not use the interlibrary loan.
If you have any questions, please ask our staff at the interlibrary loan.
06.08.2010
What is not available via interlibrary loan?
The terms for interlibrary loan in Germany are set down in the Interlibrary Loan Terms of Use (Leihverkehrsordnung). The terms of use determine which items are excluded from interlibrary loan, for instance:
- Items which are in stock at Dortmund University Library - even if the items have been borrowed.
- Diploma theses, bachelor or master theses (may usually not be borrowed).
- Valuable and rare items.
- Loose-leaf editions and unbound periodicals.
- Electronic resources.
- ...
Questions? Please contact our staff in the Interlibrary Loan Department.
Please note:
- Interlibrary loan fees are handling fees. The fee will be charged even if your order cannot be fulfilled.
- Newly released books: fill in our book suggestion form - sometimes this is the quickest way to get the book.
10.08.2011
How do I order a book or a book article via interlibrary loan?
If an item is not available here, you can order it via interlibrary loan: How do I place an interlibrary loan? (video tutorial).
You will need some details such as the name of a person (author or editor), title and the year of publication. There are several possibilities how to get to the interlibrary loan interface, here are the three most important:
- If you cannot find an item in our catalogue, you can click on "Interlibrary loan" in the upper navigation line of our catalogue and select "Interlibrary loan, books" if you are looking for a book.
- Access the interlibrary loan interface from our home page (left column). Select "Interlibrary loan, document delivery" and then "Interlibrary loan, books".
- Access the interlibrary loan interface from the Literature Search and select "Interlibrary loan, document delivery" in the box "Our services for literature search". Select "Interlibrary loan, books".
Switch to the English version! After entering your user ID and password, you have access to the interlibrary loan interface of Digital Library (DigiBib).
Looking for a book and ordering via interlibrary loan
- Enter search terms for the book, e.g. one or two keywords from the title and the name of the author.
- Click on "Search".
- You will get a hit list from the different German library networks.
- Select your book from any library network. An availability search is started across the library network of North Rhine-Westphalia (hbz).
- As a result, you will see
- either the full display of the book details, then you can click on "ILL Request" to post your order,
- or you will get a message alerting you to the fact that the item has to be sent "in traditional way" i.e. by post and that the order might therefore take longer to arrive. Here, too, you can click on "ILL Request".
- If the book in question is not on the hit list, enter the book details into the request form manually and post your order.
- You can choose whether you want to order an entire book or whether you need only parts of it.
- You can also provide more specific information. You can state for instance by what date you need the book ("Bemerkungen" box) or whether you would (or would not) mind getting a different edition of the book you ordered.
- There might be additional costs for the handling of your order, for instance if more than twenty pages are copied. In this case, please enter into the appropriate box what amount of additional expenses you are willing to bear.
- To post your order, click once on "Bestellen". You will receive a confirmation of your order.
- You can track your order in your personal interlibrary loan account in the Digital Library. Your interlibrary loans are also listed in your library account in our catalogue.
If you have questions about interlibrary loans, please ask please ask our staff at the interlibrary loan.
07.04.2010
What can I do if the item I am looking for cannot be found in the interlibrary loan database?
If the item you are looking for is not to be found in the database of the interlibrary loan interface, you can enter the bibliographic data into the request form "freie Bestellmaske".
Please note that the handling and delivery of these orders may take longer because they have to be specifically attended to.
16.08.2005
How can I order journal articles via interlibrary loan?
If you would like to order a journal article via interlibrary document delivery, you usually know the specifics of the article in question, i.e. the title of the journal, the author and title of the article. First, you need to find the journal, and then you can order the article via interlibrary article delivery.
There are different ways to get to the interlibrary article delivery, here are the three most important ones:
- If you have not found a journal in our catalogue, you can select "Interlibrary loan" in the upper navigation line of our catalogue in order to start the interlibrary loan. Select "Interlibrary article delivery".
- Access the interlibrary loan interface from our home page (left column). Select "Interlibrary loan, document delivery" and then "Interlibrary article delivery".
- Access the interlibrary loan interface from the literature search and select "Interlibrary loan, document delivery" in the box "Our services for literature search". Select "Interlibrary article delivery".
Switch to the English version! After entering your user ID and password, you have access to the interlibrary loan interface of Digital Library (DigiBib).
Finding journals and ordering an article
- Enter key words from the title or other title information of the journal, preferably distinguishing terms (e.g. Planta biology). Tip: you can find the entire title of a journal by putting the search term into inverted comma in the box "Journal Title (String)" ("Titelanfang (Phrase)"), e.g. "Nature" or "Journal of business research".
- In the hit list, you can select the journal in question to see the full display of the journal data.
Caution: you cannot order articles from electronic journals by interlibrary document delivery. - In the list of owning libraries ("Besitznachweise") you can check whether the journal is really unavailable at the Dortmund University Library (UB Dortmund = NRW <290>).
Caution: Interlibrary orders of our own stock are not possible! - Click on "ILL Request" and enter the details of the article.
- You might want to change the mode of despatch.
- Click once on "Bestellen" to post your order. You will receive a confirmation of your order.
- All orders can be tracked in your personal interlibrary loan account in the Digital Library.
14.12.2007
How will I be notified of the arrival of interlibrary loans?
You will receive an email or a letter from the interlibrary loan department of Dortmund University Library as soon as the book or article has arrived.
The email notification is free of charge. The items will be held ready for collection at the lending services for ten weekdays after the date of the notification.
07.04.2010
How long is the loan period and can I renew items borrowed via interlibrary loan?
- The loan period is determined by the respective sending library. Usually it is twenty weekdays. Please do not remove the order form enclosed in the book, we need it to handle your interlibrary loan. Dortmund University Library passes on all conditions of the sending library regarding the loan period, conditions of use or copy prohibition of interlibrary loans.
- The exact return date is printed on your issue slip. If a renewal is possible, there is a line saying "Insgesamt eine automatische Verlängerung offen" (i.e. one automatic renewal outstanding), as well as a the date of the renewal on the issue slip. The renewal is effected automatically and always on condition, it can be revoked at any time. A second renewal is not possible.
23.11.2009
Can I make reservations for interlibrary loans?
Media ordered by interlibrary loan have possibly been borrowed in the sending library. By request, we can reserve the medium for you. The delivery of the medium may than take longer than usual. If you have any questions, please contact our staff of the interlibrary loan department.
07.04.2010
How much do interlibrary loans cost?
Please read up on this on our web page interlibrary loan fees.
08.01.2010
Are there restrictions to the use of items borrowed via interlibrary loan?
The sending library may restrict the use of interlibrary loans. Rare books may for instance be read only in the reading room or you might be prohibited from copying old books. Dortmund University Library is bound to pass these restrictions on to its users.
07.07.2008
Is there a quicker way to order items than the interlibrary loan system?
If you need a book or an article at short notice, you can use electronic document delivery services. Depending on what you need you might choose:
- Document delivery - the fast document delivery of the Dortmund University Library
- Subito - document delivery service for books and articles.
Fees and delivery times vary. Please ask our staff of the Document Delivery.
07.07.2008
What services does the document delivery offer?
Via document delivery, you can order
- items from the stock of Dortmund University Library, even if you do not hold a library card:
- Items which need to be returned (books, DVD's...)
- Copies of articles (by post or fax)
- items from other libraries, provided you hold a library card.
- Items must be collected at the lending services of Dortmund University Library.
- Book or journal articles can be ordered as a copy by post or fax.
The fees for document delivery depend on your customer category, to which state the item is to be delivered and on the space of time in which the order should be carried out.
If you have questions please ask our staff at the document delivery department of Dortmund University Library - Document Delivery order form.
06.08.2010
I have questions about or problems with the interlibrary loan, who can I contact?
If you have questions about interlibrary loans or encounter problems placing an interlibrary loan order, please contact our staff of the interlibrary loan department.
07.04.2010
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