ILL/DD Frequently Asked Questions

What is Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery?
How long does it take?
What does it cost?
What is desktop delivery?
What is Loansome Doc?
What is ILLiad?
Items not available through ILL/DD
Copyright Information
Troubleshooting
Return to Order an Article/Book Page

What is Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery?

The Biomedical Library Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Department supplies University students, faculty and staff with library materials from remote locations as well as from the University Libraries' own collections. More specifically:

• Interlibrary Loan is the process through which the Biomedical Library borrows materials not owned by USA from other libraries (world wide). This service is available for University students, faculty and staff. As a Resource Library in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine we participate in national and global network of interlibrary loan systems.
• Document Delivery service provides University students, faculty and staff the option to request materials from the library's collection. For a fee, the ILL/DD department will pull and copy materials from its University's library holdings.

How long does it take?

For Interlibrary Loan it generally takes 7-10 working days to receive journal articles, while books usually take a little longer. For clinical medical emergencies first contact an ILL/DD staff person (251-460-6891), so we can expedite your request appropriately.
For Document Delivery it generally take 2 working days to receive articles.

What does it cost?

Definitions:

• Interlibrary Loan: Materials retrieved from libraries outside of the University
• Document Delivery: Materials retrieved from USA library other than user's' home library branch (User's home library for USA's Biomedical Library is either the Baugh Biomedical Library (campus), University Medical Center Library Branch (Mastin) or Children's & Women's Library Branch. If you are unsure which one is your home library please contact us at (251) 460-6891 or (251) 460-7044.)
• Photocopy: Materials copied by ILL dept from user's home library - see: Document Delivery
• E-Journals: Any materials copied for library users by ILL dept available in online journals

What is desktop delivery?

Using a software application called Prospero, ILL/DD materials are scanned and placed on the library server as PDF files. Patrons will receive an e-mail message with a pin number and a web address (URL) to access each requested document. Users can access the library server and easily download and print requested documents using Adobe Acrobat Reader (download).

What is Loansome Doc?

The Biomedical Library offers Loansome Doc service. Note that you must obtain a user code and id from the National Library of Medicine and establish an agreement with the Biomedical Library prior to using this service. To register for Loansome Doc Service with the Biomedical Library, fill out the appropriate form linked from below and return to the Interlibrary Loan department via fax, mail or e-mail. Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery services performed through Loansome Doc cost $20 plus any applicable copyright fees. Please contact the Interlibrary Loan department if you need any further information.

• University Non-Affiliated US Domestic Application
• University Non-Affiliated Outside US Application

What is ILLiad?

ILLiad is an automated, interlibrary loan/document delivery software that allows the user to place and track the progress of their requests. ILLiad requires a one-time registration where users create a user id/password protected personal account. LogIn or Register for an ILLiad account

Items not available through ILL/DD

Requests for the following materials will not be processed by the Interlibrary Loan Department:

1. Books owned by the USA Libraries but charged out. These can be recalled at the Circulation Desk or online.
2. Textbooks currently being used for USA courses.
3. Materials for class reserve or group use.
4. Recreational reading titles.
5. Requests that violate the copyright law.

The following materials, although not generally requested, exceptions can be made at the discretion of the Interlibrary Loan department head:

1. Newspapers or manuscripts.
2. Whole volumes or issues of journals.
3. Records, tapes, films, software, and other fragile materials.

Copyright Information

The Biomedical Library abides by the copyright law (Title 17, U.S.Code) and reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of the copyright law. Please read and sign the copyright warning on the "BIOMEDICAL LIBRARY Item Request"

Troubleshooting

• What does it mean if it says "The user name you have entered does not exist?"
  There are a few possibilities. The most likely is your email address was entered incorrectly. Try entering the email address again. If you get your email forwarded to another account, it is possible that you received the email at a different account than we sent it to! [For example, you gave us name@jaguar1.usouthal.edu and you have that email forwarded to name@aol.com, you need to enter name@jaguar1.usouthal.edu to retrieve your article(s).]
• What does it mean if it says "Your pin is incorrect"?
  First, check the PIN number in your email and re-enter it. Are you trying to retrieve the specific document mentioned in the email with that PIN number? If not, there may have been two PINs assigned to you by accident. Call the Document Delivery Department at 251-460-6891.
• I put in my email address and PIN number, but it won't let me see the article.
  Has it been 10 days since the email was sent to you? The documents have been deleted. Call the Document Delivery Department at 251-460-6891. Have you viewed the article(s) twice? The documents have been deleted. Call the Document Delivery Department at 251-460-6891. Are you using the correct PIN number for that article? It is possible that documents sent at different times may have different PIN numbers. Call the Document Delivery Department at 251-460-6891.
• How can I get my article if I didn't view it within the 10 days (or I viewed it twice but didn't print)?
  You will have to call the Document Delivery Department at 251-460-6891. The article may have to be reordered.
• Can I retrieve an article from home or away from my office?
  YES! All you need is your email address and your PIN number.
• All requests must be ordered via the ILLiad system.
• Be sure to fill in a date in the "Not needed after"
• You will be notified when your item arrives.

Return to Order an Article/Book Page