How does Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery work?
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) allows you to obtain materials from other libraries while a request for materials owned by Carpenter Library is known as Document Delivery. Requests for both may be made through ILLiad, our online request portal. Books and other “returnable” materials are picked up at, and should only be returned to, the Carpenter Library Service Desk or the Student Resource Center Desk as arranged at the time of the order.
Articles will be posted as PDFs to your ILLiad account. The material remains for 30 days. At the end of that 30 days (from the initial date of posting) the material is automatically removed to comply with copyright storage policies.
Who can use ILLiad?
Those patrons who have access to the Carpenter Library resources are allowed access to ILL service. Please note that if you are only allowed access to resources while on campus, you may not have access to ILL servicing. That process changed on May 15, 2025 to follow licensing agreements. Please see this page for a complete explanation as to access guidelines. Generally, ILL users must meet these guidelines:
Carpenter Library Authorized Users
All patrons requesting document delivery and interlibrary loan services should first register in ILLiad.
A valid email is required to register for an ILLiad account. That will either be a wfusm.edu or advocatehealth.org email account. Due to the requirement for secure storage of electronic documents, no private, non-institutional emails are allowed.
All accounts are approved prior to being activated. If there are any discrepancies or questions, we will contact you via email. If you are approved, you will see an automated email sent from docdelAHWFB@Advocatehealth.org.
Faculty and staff should submit requests for non-work-related materials to the public library or their school library, if they are taking courses at an outside institution.
How do I create a username and password?
When registering with ILLiad, you will be asked to create a username and password that will enable you to log on to your account and access our services. If you forget your username or password, please contact the Document Delivery Department at 336-716-4066 or email us at docdelAHWFB@Advocatehealth.org and we will be glad to help.
Is there a fee for Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Loan Services?
There are no fees for borrowing materials via the ILL service. If, however, you incur a fine for an overdue book, that is the your responsibility, not the library's. If you have requested an article or book and obtain the material on your own before your interlibrary loan is received, please let us know immediately so we can cancel any requests in process.
How long does it take to get copies or books that are requested?
Articles:
Requests for articles from our collection submitted before 2 pm are generally supplied on the same day. Requests received after that time will be filled later that day or the next day. Interlibrary loan turnaround time varies, but we are able to fill up to 80% of our article requests within 2 working days. The remaining 20% may take a week or longer, especially hard-to-locate titles.
Books "Loans"
Books from non-WFU libraries generally take a week or two to arrive, depending on how many libraries own the title and the type of mail service used by the lending library. Current-year textbooks and review books may be not be available for interlibrary loan, as they are usually in high demand in their home libraries.
What happened to articles/chapters I have previously viewed?
PDF copies of electronic articles and book chapters are retained for 30 days and will be automatically deleted after that time. The 30 days counts from the initial date of posting. The material is automatically removed to comply with copyright storage policies. Additional copies may not be able to be re-requested after the 30 day limit.
What should I do if a page is missing or illegible?
If any part of your document is missing or hard to read, please contact the ILL office immediately at 336-716-4066 or docdelAHWFB@Advocatehealth.org
Copyright and Licensing
Why was my request cancelled “due to copyright restrictions”?
We fully comply with all provisions of Title 17, United States Code (Section 108C). This institution reserves the right to cancel requests that we deem to be in potential violation of copyright law. In addition, we and our lending partners must comply with the licensing agreements that are associated with all electronic resources including journal databases and e-books.
What does “unable to verify your request as cited” mean?
Incorrect or incomplete citations make it difficult for us to provide what you need. Every ILLiad request form has required fields that are the minimum needed in order to research your request. Please check every field for accuracy before submitting your request. We will contact you if a citation is incomplete or incorrect and more information is needed.
May I renew my ILL item?
Renewal requests may (or may not) be granted at the discretion of the lending library. It does not guarantee a renewal and we will contact you with the lending library's response. Check the white band on the book to see your due date. The optimal time to ask for a renewal is 5 days prior to the due date. Once a book is overdue, it may not be renewed.
How do I request a renewal?
Log on to your ILLiad account. On the left side of the screen under “View Existing Requests”, click on "Renew & Review Loans." From this list, click on the underlined transaction number link, located to the left of the title. If a renewal request will be considered, "Renew Request" will appear above the transaction information. Click on this link. The message "Item renewed with a due date of xx/xx/20XX" will appear. The book is temporarily renewed for one week while we wait for the lending library to respond.
Many required textbooks are available in eBook format via the Library or instructional department. Current-year textbooks and review books are generally either in high demand or on reserve in their home libraries, so they are unlikely to be available for loan. Loans are generally made for short periods, so we strongly discourage requests for required WFSUM textbooks.
Textbook requests for courses taken outside this institution should be submitted to the interlibrary loan department at your school or your public library.
How do I find or request articles from newspapers?
Many newspapers are online or in databases for which the library has subscriptions. Please check our online resources, Newspaper Sources Plus, North Carolina newspapers and the databases tab for historical newspapers to see if you can find what you need. If we don't subscribe to the cited newspaper, submit an article request to ILLiad and we will obtain it for you.
How long may I keep Books requested through ILL?
The loan period for borrowed books and other items is determined by the lending library. Each lending library has their own policy for due dates. Your due date can be found in the transaction record in your ILLiad account and on the white band on the book.
What if my item is overdue?
It is extremely important that ILL items are returned on time, so we can maintain cooperative relationships with our lending partners. Overdue notices are sent to the email account you provided during registration. First, second, and third notices are sent individually and, on the third notice, your ILLiad account is automatically blocked.
Why is my ILLiad account blocked or disavowed?
Accounts are blocked for a number of reasons. They can be blocked if there are materials or fines owed. They may be blocked or disavowed if the patron no longer has rights to use the services per institution policy. Please see this page for a complete explanation as to access guidelines.
Accounts are disavowed if a patron is no longer affiliated with a advocatehealth.org or wfsum.edu email (enrolled or employed at WFSM/WFBMC). Please contact us if you have questions concerning your blocked account. docdelAHWFB@Advocatehealth.org
Libraries that wish to place an ILL request with us should use OCLC or Docline to submit requests. Our OCLC code is NBG and our Docline symbol is NCUBOW. Alternatively, academic libraries can register on our ILLiad lending pages for service. All requests are processed within 24 hours of receipt during regular business hours.
Call the Interlibrary Loan office 336-716-4066 or e-mail at docdelAHWFB@Advocatehealth.org . Our normal office hours are M – F, 7:30 AM to 4 PM.
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