Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Services

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Contact Info

Welcome to Kutztown University Library's Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery (ILL) service.
ILL is available to current KU students, faculty, staff, and administrators. 
ILL requests are managed in our web-based application, Tipasa.

Requesting Articles

The easiest way to place your article request is to do so directly from within the searched database. Look for the "Check for Full Text" link near the article you need; if the Full Text search lists no online access, you can click the "Request via Interlibrary Loan" link near the bottom of the page and have the article data imported into Tipasa. 

If you have a citation in hand, please check to see if the library has access to your article before requesting it via ILL. If you need assistance, please contact the ILL office.

Check the e-journal search site

1. Search for the journal title (not the article's title)
2. Verify the year of your citation is within the date ranges indicated
3. If an "Article" link is present, this should go directly to the article
4. If a "Journal" link is present, this will allow online browsing of available issues
5. If a "Database" link is present, use this to search the database which should have access to the article.

Request using the Article Form in Tipasa - the article will be sent to you electronically.

Requesting Books and Other Items

When the library does not own an item, we provide easy ways to request it. WorldCat searches across library collections worldwide and requests items via Tipasa. Tipasa queries libraries that own the item to loan it to us for your use. The turnaround time for books and other loanable items is from 3-7 business days. Items which are more difficult to find or are in high demand may take longer.

Please note:  Interlibrary Loan will not request the following types of materials:

• Textbooks. ILL compares requested items to publishers' catalogs to determine if they are considered textbooks. We also rely on Amazon item information to assist in the identification of textbooks before ordering. If you are having trouble obtaining your textbooks, you may also consult with your professor regarding Open Educational Resources (OER) for use in class. 
• eBooks or streaming audio/video (all e-media is currently ineligible for Interlibrary Loan). If you would like to request the purchase of an e-book for the library's collection, you can make a request here.
• Material already owned by the Kutztown University library.
• Multiple copies of a title or article.
• Unpublished or not-yet-published Items.
• New items.  Most materials less than two years old are considered "New" and cannot be loaned or borrowed.
• Kindles, e-Readers, and other tablet devices. If you require the use of a Kindle, many are available for loan from Rohrbach Library's Circulation.department. Click here to suggest Kindle titles for library purchase.
• Items in defunct formats. The library does not own the technology required to view or utilize film or audio reels. If you have access to the available technology elsewhere, please add this information to your request and we will review it.
• Psychological testing tools. These materials are unavailable through Interlibrary Loan, as the distribution of psychological assessment tools is restricted to properly qualified persons. Test forms/booklets, answer sheets, and the scoring key can only be purchased through the publisher. If you are a student, contact your professor about access to a copy of the testing materials required for your class or research.
• Legal materials and research materials pertaining to the law as it is practiced and interpreted. These items have a high rate of non-return and are extremely expensive to replace. For this reason, we will no longer request legal/law materials through Interlibrary Loan.

1. Double-check the catalog to confirm whether or not the KU Library owns the item.
2. Check WorldCat - this service covers many library collections worldwide. When you locate an item you want, click "Interlibrary Loan." If there are only a few copies of a book listed in WorldCat, it is unlikely that we will be able to obtain that item.
3. For books and other materials not available using the services listed above, please request through Tipasa.

COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS:

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United State Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyright materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, library and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified condition 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 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.