Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Borrowing Service obtains items not available in UC Berkeley’s library collections for UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff, as well as other eligible patrons. International borrowing is available to faculty and graduate students.

Items considered not available and therefore eligible to be requested through Interlibrary Borrowing are the ones that are: 

• not owned by UC Berkeley (check UC Library Search)
• in process
• at the bindery
• checked out
• on order
• missing

• Search UC Library Search for the item needed. If it is not available or not owned, use the Request from Interlibrary Loan button on an item record page to access the request form.
• If you cannot locate the material needed in UC Library Search, use the blank ILL request form in UC Library Search to place your request. 
• Visit Interlibrary Loan at 133 Doe Library and staff can assist you with your request.

Most scans of articles/book chapters are filled digitally and sent directly to your email on file.

• Search UC Library Search for the item needed. If it is not available or not owned, use the Request from Interlibrary Loan button on an item record page to access the request form.
• If you cannot locate the material needed in UC Library Search, use the blank ILL Request form in UC Library Search to place your request. 
• Visit Interlibrary Loan at 133 Doe Library and staff can assist you with your request.

Use UC Library Search to view the status of all your pending requests and see current checkouts. Loans from other UC campuses will be visible on separate tabs for each campus, while loans from UC Berkeley and non-UC ILL loans will display within the UC Berkeley tab. You can also cancel pending requests or renew loans from other UC campuses.

• Sign in with your CalNet login to view your library account. Use My ILL to view the status of pending non-UC requests, request a renewal of a non-UC loan, or cancel requests.
• Sign in with your Library card/Cal 1 Card number or your UC Path number. Under Home Campus select UCB.
• Once logged in, check the Show Everything box to view your inventory of requests.

You can pick up and return Interlibrary Borrowing material to any campus library circulation desk except the Law Library. You’ll select the pickup location when you submit the request.

Please note: If a lender restricts the material to Library Use Only, you will receive an email with the location where you can view the material (Interlibrary Loan, The Bancroft Library, the Newspapers & Microforms Library, or Morrison Library). These books are considered non-circulating, so they will not be listed in your UC Library Search inventory.

More details

• Items are held for you to pick up for one week only.
• You will need to pick up books in person with your current UC Berkeley ID or Library Card. Checkouts are non-transferable.
• Books will appear in your UC Library Search inventory along with UC Berkeley books you have checked out.
• Articles/chapters: Most scans of articles/book chapters are filled digitally and sent directly to your email on file. You can also ​log in to your My ILL account ​​to ​download available​ ​documents​. Documents will remain available for up to five views or 30 days​. If a lender provides a paper copy, you will receive an email notification to pick up the copy from the Interlibrary Loan office.
• Visiting scholars: Interlibrary Loan items will be counted toward your maximum number of checkouts allowed, along with your UC Berkeley checkouts.

Lender availability and processing time can impact the delivery timeframe for all types of requests.

• Scans (articles, chapters, etc.) will typically arrive within a few days to your email on file.
• Loans (books, scores, maps, theses, etc.) available from another UC campus will typically arrive within three to five business days. Loans obtained from outside of the UC system will take longer due to shipping times.

The loan period is set by the lending institution. Most items borrowed from another UC will be loaned for 90 days, with the option to renew in UC Library Search for up to one year checkout. Items borrowed from non-UC institutions can have loan periods ranging from one week to six months. Always check your library account in UC Library Search, not your My ILL, for your correct due date.

Overdue material:  If you don’t return your books after the reminder notices, your library account will be blocked and you will be billed the full replacement cost of the item and any additional fees. IBS requests may not be placed for material to be used for course reserve or other long-term projects.

Renewals: For loans from other UC campuses, you can renew items automatically through your library account when logged in to UC Library Search. For loans from non-UC institutions, use My ILL to request a renewal at least one week before your due date in UC Library Search. We need to contact the lender, and will get back to you by email within two days. If you need more time, we will try to accommodate you.

Eligible members of the UC Berkeley community are:

• Currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students 
• Active and retired faculty and staff
• Visiting scholars registered with the Visiting Scholars Program
• UC Office of the President 
• Proxy Card holders

Patrons at other UC campuses will need to use interlibrary services through their home institution. 

Proxy Card privilege: Faculty may authorize research assistants as proxies to check out library materials on their library account. The proxy borrower application form includes eligibility requirements and a statement of responsibility.

Alumni Association members do not have Interlibrary Borrowing privileges. Patrons who are not eligible may make requests at their local public library. If you aren't sure if you are eligible, please contact the Privileges Desk.

Overdue material

Please monitor your due dates in your UC Library Search account.  If you do not return your books after the reminder notices, your library account will be blocked and you will be billed the full replacement cost of the item and any additional fees

Loss and damage

As the borrower, you are responsible for any damage to or loss of materials from the time you pick them up until you return them. You are also responsible for damage caused by scanning or copying from the material. Should any damage occur, report it to Interlibrary Borrowing directly. Do not attempt to repair it yourself.

E-books

E-books are not currently available for interlibrary loan due to licensing restrictions.

Textbooks and test prep books

The Library does not borrow textbooks through Interlibrary Borrowing Services (IBS). Generally, the loan periods given for books do not cover a full semester and may be recalled at any time. Faculty make course materials available to students through course reserves. Materials may also be available for purchase or rent through the Cal Bookstore. Along with textbooks, we cannot borrow test prep (e.g. GMAT, MCAT, GRE, LSAT), or “[Subject] for Dummies” books.

Special conditions

The lending library may impose special conditions on the use of their material. Common conditions include: library use only, restricted reading room use in the Bancroft Library, no renewals, no photocopying, or user's signature required. Conditions are noted on the IBS band attached to the material. When you accept the IBS loan, you are obliged to honor these conditions.

Special materials

Many libraries will not lend rare, fragile, new, or unique materials. Also, they may not lend whole volumes of recent periodicals, DVDs, or special collection materials.

Graduate Theological Union materials

UC Berkeley students, faculty, visiting scholars, and library staff have library privileges at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) library, so material available at GTU is not eligible for ILL. To obtain a GTU library card, bring your UCB ID card to the GTU Circulation Desk. For hours and directions, visit the GTU library website.

Law Library materials

The Law Library is open to Berkeley faculty and graduate students who wish to use the library for legal research. Undergraduates who wish to use the Law Library collection for research purposes only must first apply for an access pass at circadmin@law.berkeley.edu. During exam periods for law students the library will be open to Berkeley Law students only. Check the Berkeley Law Library catalog.

Please note: Interlibrary Borrowing will not process requests for materials that UC Berkeley owns and that are listed as AVAILABLE in UC Library Search.

The Research Library Cooperative Program (RLCP) provides eligible patrons of UC Berkeley on-site privileges at Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin. Interlibrary Borrowing obtains physical and digital material for all UC Berkeley patrons.

UC Berkeley patrons visiting Stanford libraries

UC Berkeley faculty, graduate students, and academic staff can physically visit Stanford Library onsite, access collections, and check out library materials physically by obtaining a Stanford library card, which can be requested online. Before traveling to Stanford, visitors should review the Stanford Libraries visitor information regarding accessing the collections, wireless access, and licensed electronic databases. The Business, Crown Law, Lane Medical, and SLAC libraries are Stanford Coordinate Libraries and are not included in the RLCP resource sharing agreement. Review their separate websites for access and borrowing policies. 

UC Berkeley patrons visiting UT Austin

UT Austin encourages UC Berkeley faculty, graduate students, and academic staff to apply for a UT Austin RLCP account by emailing circserv@lib.utexas.edu prior to physically visiting the location. More information may be found on UT Austin's RLCP page.

UC Berkeley patrons requesting materials from Stanford Libraries and UT Austin Libraries

All UC Berkeley patrons with Interlibrary Loan privileges may use UC Library Search to request research materials that are not held in UC Berkeley’s library collections. Physical material may be picked up at UC Berkeley campus libraries and at the NRLF.  Digitized items (articles and book chapters) are delivered electronically.

Patrons who have questions regarding UC Berkeley’s ILL or resource sharing services may contact cuy-library@berkeley.edu.