Inter–Library Loan Service: ILL Service for Research Postgraduates

• Use WebCat to establish that we don't already have the item that you require

• to see if what you need is available online: many books and journals are now available in electronic format. The resources section of the Library website provides guidance on electronic resources.

The loan period for inter-library loan items  is generally for 3-4 weeks.

Items can be recalled and the original loan date shortened. We will always inform you if this happens.

Some items are reference only. This means that they can only be consulted within the library here.

Our renewals policy is one renewal per item.

If you need a renewal please contact us prior to the item’s original return date.  Contact details are on the right of this page.

The inter-library loan service sources items that are not available from our own stock and makes them available to you, our readers.

Most requests will be sourced from the British Library and other UK Higher Education libraries. Where necessary, we will source items from across the world on your behalf. 

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a high likelihood that we will have difficulty sourcing requests in the usual way. There may therefore be either a long delay or the possibility that we are unable to source what is requested.

All requests need to be submitted using WebCat. You'll need to:

1. Logon to WebCat using your User Name & Password
2. Select Requests & Document Supply at the top of this page.
3. Choose from the two options

If you are unclear about what information to include in your request, here are some ILL reference tips.

We use a variety of suppliers to source material and for that reason there is no fixed period of time that an ILL / DD request will take to supply.

Generally, however, requests take between 1 and 10 working days to be supplied. Many requests for extracts or parts of a publication are now delivered electronically as pdfs and for that reason are often supplied very quickly.

We will keep in regular contact with you while we process your request.

Most articles/extracts are now delivered as pdfs and generally very quickly. Our main supplier is the British Library.

• You will need to register with British Library On Demand (document supply) service. This is free and allows you to create a username and password. With these you can access your document on any device you choose.You only need to register with this service once.

• Once available, you will receive an e-mail with a link to the document you have requested. The document must be downloaded within 30 days and saved to a hard drive or memory stick within 14 days of opening it.

• The document can be opened on Adobe Reader version 10 or above. Most University public workstations will have the relevant software installed. Adobe Acrobat DC can be installed from the ‘Additional Software’ button on university pcs or by contacting iSolutions: isolutions@soton.ac.uk / 25656.

With 'On Demand' you can:

• Print a single hard copy of the document. We recommend you do this.
• Access the document on any device.  The first time you open the document on a new device you will need to be connected to the internet.
• The digital copy of the document will be available to you for three years.

For article/extract requests, as soon as your document is available to download, you will be sent an e-mail containing a link to the document. This will generally come direct to you from our main supplier, the British Library.

For loan requests, as soon as we receive the item from our suppliers, we will contact you by e-mail.

Hard copy inter-library loans are normally collected from the Library Loans/Service desks.

We are also happy to post items to you on request.

ILL items do not belong to us. It is very important that we return them on time.

To assist you in this, a courtesy reminder notice is sent to you the day before your item is due for return. Please return loaned ILLs to your home library.

ILL items can be returned by post. You will be responsible for meeting postage costs. You will also be responsible for the book until it reaches the library. 

Hartley Library

• Telephone 023 8059 3454
• email: illhart@soton.ac.uk