| interlibrary loan & document delivery services |
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The Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services department provides several vital services to the research community at Stevens. ILL/DDS:
- borrows books for you from other libraries (Interlibrary Loan Services)
- obtains the full text of documents that are unavailable in the research databases (Document Delivery Services)
does the Library already own the material you want?
request documents
request books
deposit accounts
request dissertations or theses from other universities
alumni services
FAQ
contact ILL/DDS
ILL/DDS policies
| does the Library already own the material you want? |
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Have you checked to see if the Library already has the material you need? You can save yourself time and money by first checking the following online tools to find out if a document or book is readily available.
Before requesting documents through Document Delivery Services, be sure to check:
- The Full Text Finder, if you have a citation to an article and want to get the full text fast. The full text may be available in one of the research databases – find out by entering the title of the publication in the search box.
- The Stevens Library Online Catalog, to find out if the Stevens Library owns a print copy of the publication in the bound periodicals section on the third floor. Enter the title of the publication and specify Periodical Title in the drop-down menu.
Before requesting books through Interlibrary Loan Services, be sure to check:
- Stevens Library Online Catalog, to find out if the book is already owned by the Stevens Library either in print or in an e-Book database.
Please note: the ILL/DDS Deparment will not obtain books or documents that the S.C. Williams Library owns.
| request documents |
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To request a document (journal article, magazine article, newspaper article, patent, conference proceeding, standard, technical paper) you will need to use a Document Request form.
Fees:
$1.00 per regular document request (3-10 business days)
$10.00 per rush request (1-3 business days)
PLEASE NOTE:
Fee is due at time of request. We will not start a request without payment.
We we not accept requests that do not have full citations. Please include:
- Journal Title
- Article Title
- Volume Number
- Page Numbers
The Library will subsidize up to $25 per document. On the rare occasion that the document costs more than $25, the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services department will contact you. You must agree to pay the balance before the Library proceeds with your request.
Normally, the Library will send you a PDF containing the document when it is ready, unless a print copy is only available.
Method 1: Use the paper form.
A separate form is required for each request
(Note: Request forms CANNOT be faxed)
Download the paper form, fill it out completely, and submit the form and the appropriate fee to the Circulation Desk.
HELPFUL HINT: Print out the citation for the document on a separate piece of paper and staple it to the request form, instead of hand-writing the citation on the request form. This ensures that all of the important information about the document is included, it saves you time, and it also helps the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services department process your request faster. A complete citation is required! Be sure to legibly include your full contact information.
If you are using a Departmental Account number to pay for your document requests, you must use the paper form.
Method 2: Use the Deposit Account online request form
For information about setting up deposit accounts, please see Deposit Accounts below.
| request books |
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The service is free and the delivery time can be up to twelve business days. Unlike many documents, books cannot be rushed. Books cannot be mailed directly to you. Also, please note that textbooks cannot be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan Services. You will be contacted through email when your book arrives, and you must sign for it at the Library Circulation Desk. The loan period for Interlibrary Loan books varies according to the policy of the lending library. The due date will be indicated on a form that the Stevens Library attaches to the book when it is received. The form also provides instructions for renewing the book.
PLEASE NOTE: We do not accept requests for textbooks.
Method 1: Use the online book request form
You may request books through our online book request form located here.
Method 2: Use the paper form.
Download the paper form, fill it out, and submit the form to the Circulation Desk. | deposit accounts |
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Already have a deposit account? Use the Deposit Account Document Order Form to order articles.
An account is set up in advance to pay for documents ordered. To set up a Deposit Account using an Interdepartmental Transfer Form, you can transfer funds from a grant, contract, or department to the Library. Or, you can provide a personal check made out to the Samuel C. Williams Library to the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services department. The $1.00 fee is deducted for each document requested (regular processing time); a fee of $10.00 is deducted for rush orders.
The advantage of setting up a Deposit Account is that you may request documents directly from the Library website, and you can copy/paste the citation details into the request form fields. You will be given an account code that gives you access to the Online Document Request form. No signatures are required, only the account code.
A minimum of $50.00 is required to set up a Deposit Account. Unused funds will be refunded upon request.
To set up a Deposit Account, please fill out the Deposit Account Request form or contact Mary Ellen Valverde.
| request dissertations and theses from other universities |
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Dissertations and theses written by students at other universities cannot be borrowed from other libraries; however, if you are a Stevens student, faculty member, or staff member, you may purchase dissertations and theses through the Document Delivery Services at a fraction of their full cost. You will pay $10.00 per dissertation or thesis requested, and the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services department will pick up the balance of the cost. The Library will notify you when your request has arrived. The document will be yours to keep, and you can either pick it up in the Library or have it mailed to you. Please allow 10 business days for delivery of your request.
- Print out a Dissertation/Thesis Request Form or pick one up at the Circulation Desk. Use a separate form for each request.
- Staple a printout of the complete citation to the request form. If you can't print the record, fill in as much information as possible on the form. You can search for and locate records for many dissertations and theses using the FirstSearch – Dissertations database.
- Fill out the rest of the required information on the form.
- Submit the form and the $10.00 fee to the Circulation Desk.
If you have a Library Deposit Account, you may use the Deposit Account Online Form to request a dissertation or thesis from another university. The fee is $10.00.
| alumni services |
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Stevens alumni may use the Library's Document Delivery Services to request documents and dissertations. Alumni are not eligible to use the Library's Interlibrary Loan services to request books from other libraries. Alumni should refer to their local public library for Interlibrary Loan services.
The cost for documents are as follows:
- Rush - $20 fee + full cost of document
- Regular - $10 fee + full cost of document
The cost for dissertations is $57.50 per request.
Please contact the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services Librarian if you have questions about Alumni Services.
| FAQ |
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Is there a “cap” on the cost of documents?
Yes; the Library will subsidize up to $25.00 per document. On the occasion that the document costs more than $25.00, the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services department will contact you. You must agree to pay the balance before the Library proceeds with your request.
Why do I get some documents in just a couple of days, while it takes a couple of weeks to get others?
All requests for documents are not necessarily filled by the same service or library. The Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services Department employs a variety of vendors and libraries to get documents and they each have different delivery methods and turnaround times.
What should I do if I have an incomplete citation?
Contact a Reference and Research Services Librarian for help in verifying your citation. It is important that your citation be accurate to avoid delays in getting your article. Whenever possible, please attach a copy of the citation from whatever source you used to obtain it.
What is not available through Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services?
We cannot obtain the following:
- Entire issues of periodicals (We can get individual documents only.)
- Reference books (These materials never circulate.)
- Rare or fragile materials, including manuscripts (These are usually available on-site only).
- Items subject to copyright limitations.
How do I get a copy of a dissertation or thesis from another institution?
See Request dissertations or theses from other universities
Is there any way to get the full text of an document online?
The Samuel C. Williams Library provides online access to the Stevens community to many full-text databases. The full text of over 30,000 journals, magazines, conference proceedings, and newspapers are available in the research databases. Also, citations and abstracts are available for thousands of more publications through the databases. Publications on every discipline at Stevens are available through the databases. You are encouraged to take a look at the list of Online Resources and try your searches in a variety of databases. Ask an Information Services Librarian for help selecting databases and for help improving your search methods and results.
Do I need special software to view the full text of documents online?
Many full-text databases offer the choice of viewing material as HTML or as a PDF image. To view HTML documents, you do not need special software. Your Internet browser will display the text. To view a PDF page image, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free from the Adobe website.
Why are very current articles sometimes unavailable?
Sometimes a citation to a document will appear in a database before the issue of the journal has been received by a library or document delivery service. This situation can delay the turnaround time for obtaining the full text of an article.
| contact ILL/DDS |
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If you have a question about Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services, please contact Mary Ellen Valverde or ILL Department.
| ILL / DDS policies |
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Interlibrary Loans (Borrowing books from other Universities/institutions)
We will not obtain the following:
- A book that the S.C. Williams Library owns. If our copy of the book is out on loan we cannot get another copy but you may put a hold on a book through our catalog so that it must be returned by the due date
- Reference books (These materials never circulate)
- Current textbooks
- Some special collections
If any of these cases appear you will receive an email notifying you that we cannot fill the request.
Notification and Delivery
You will receive email notification at your Stevens email address when the book(s) arrive. Books will be held for fourteen days and if not picked up will be returned to the lending library.
If we are unable to obtain the material you request, we will notify you by email.
Renewals
We will try to renew your ILL book twice; however, we cannot guarantee that your renewal request will go through as some schools do not allow renewals of ILL books.
If you would like to renew an ILL book you must call 1 week prior to the due date on your ILL book. Any renewal requests later than one week before the due date will not be sent.
To renew your book contact Mary Ellen Valverde or the ILL Department.
Editions of books
When filling out a request form, make sure to note the edition of the book. Only the exact edition that you write down will be requested. If your request for that edition is not filled you may fill out another request form and ask for another edition.
Overdue Books/Fines
Books should always be returned by the due date on the ILL book slip. Returning books late jeopardizes our relationship with other lending institutions.
If you do not return the book by the due date you will get an email reminding you that you need to return the books by the following day. If the book is not returned, you will receive a second reminder email and if the book is still not returned, you will receive a final email informing you that you will be charged for the book if it is not returned immediately by the next day. Initially you will be charged a $50 book fee. You will be charged again for the total cost of the book when we receive the bill from the lending university. You will also be responsible for any late fees incurred from the lending library for the books being late.
If you are late with an ILL book more than 2 times you may lose your ILL privileges.
Document Delivery Service (Obtaining articles from other universities, publishers, document delivery services)
We will not obtain the following:
- Any documents that the S.C. Williams Library has in full text through our databases or print periodicals (see Reference and Research Services for help)
- Entire issues of periodicals. We can get individual documents only. No more than one article per issue of a journal will be filled at one time.
- Rare or fragile materials, including manuscripts. (These are usually available on-site only)
- Items subject to copyright limitations.
If any of these cases appear, you will receive an email notifying you that we cannot fill the request. If you have paid by cash or duckbills, you can pick up the money you paid for this request at the circulation desk – only cash will be given back, we cannot replace duckbills.
We will not accept requests that do not include:
- Title of the journal – no abbreviations please
- Title of the article
- Volume number
- Page numbers
If any of these cases appear, you will receive an email notifying you that we cannot fill the request until this information is supplied.
Fees:
$1.00 per regular document request (3-10 business days) $10.00 per rush request (1-3 business days)
PLEASE NOTE: Fee is due at time of request. We will not start a request without payment.
Notification and Delivery
You will be sent PDFs of the documents that you requested if they are available. If they are not available we will send them through campus/regular mail.
If we are unable to supply the material you request, we will notify you by email.
Deposit Accounts
Deposit account money is non-refundable.
Copyright Restriction
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.
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