Interlibrary Loan

Obtaining Library Materials from Other Libraries

To request a book or journal article that is not available in the Elon University Library, please use one of the methods below. These services are only available to Elon University students, faculty, staff, & Friends of the Library.

Table of Contents:

Requesting a Book
Renewing an Interlibrary Loan Book
Requesting a copy of a Journal Article
General Information

Requesting a Book

STOP! Try the Belk Library Catalog option first! This is fast and easy.
You do not need to find out which libraries own the book. We will do that for you.
Books from other libraries may take up to 10 days to arrive, since they are shipped in the mail.
Usually the loan period is 3 - 4 weeks, with the possibility of renewing it.

Request a Book Form

Renewing an Interlibrary Loan Book

If you have borrowed a book from another library through Elon University's Interlibrary Loan service, please fill out the Book Renewal Request Form and someone will contact you regarding your renewal.

Book Renewal Form

Requesting a Journal Article

Please check to make sure that the Library does not own the material you need. If the article is available in the Library, you will be notified with details about where it is stored; it will not be ordered for you.
If you are in the Library, you can quickly check to see what journals the Library owns. Use Journal Finder. Type the name of the journal in Journal Finder
To see if the Library owns the Journal in print, type the title of the journal in Belk Library's Catalog.
If the Library does not own or have access to the article ...
You do not need to find a library that owns the journal. We will do that for you.
Articles usually take 5 - 7 days to arrive (some articles can be rushed, please ask).
The photocopied article will be yours to keep.

Request an Article from a Journal that Elon Doesn't Own

General Information About Interlibrary Loan

Most libraries will not loan whole issues of journals, audio/video materials, or computer disks.
You will be emailed or called when your item arrives, and it will be at the Circulation Desk (unless you request Campus Box delivery for photocopies).
If you want to check on the status of your requests, stop by the Library or call Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Ask to speak to the Interlibrary Loan Coordinator.