As an academic ILL department, our mission is to secure materials to support teaching and research. This service is not for requesting textbooks or other course materials. For personal use and pleasure reading, please use GIL Express or your public library's interlibrary loan service.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about ILLiad

What is Interlibrary Loan or ILL?

Interlibrary Loan is an international agreement and service between all types of libraries, whereby a library can borrow an item or get a photocopy from a journal that it doesn't own. This is a library-to-library service. You tell us what you need and we make the request to owning libraries. They, in turn, trust us to return the item to them on time and in good condition.

Items requested are to support Georgia Southern research and teaching. For personal use and pleasure reading, all Georgia Southern users are expected to use GIL Express or their public library's interlibrary loan service.

What is Document Delivery?

This term means different things at different university libraries. At Georgia Southern’s Henderson Library, it refers to supplying articles from our print journals and checking out and mailing books from our collection to the user. Users who are eligible for this service are Faculty and Distance Learners.

What is ILLiad?

ILLiad is the electronic system you use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan. The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for InterLibrary Loan internet access database.

Who is eligible for Georgia Southern's ILLiad services?

All faculty, faculty emeriti, staff, and currently enrolled Georgia Southern students and graduate students are eligible for ILLiad services, as well as East Georgia College at Georgia Southern students. BUT, ILLiad services are a privilege, not a right. Anyone who abuses the service by not returning items in a timely manner can lose ILL borrowing privileges. Also, all users are not necessarily eligible for all services.

**Undergraduates and East Georgia students – please don’t register for ILLiad service until you know you will need to use it.**

What services are included in Georgia Southern's ILLiad service?

ILLiad accounts are used for Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery services. Items requested are to support Georgia Southern research and teaching.

**For personal use and pleasure reading, all Georgia Southern users are expected to use GIL Express or their public library's interlibrary loan service.**

Students and graduate students who take classes in Statesboro or live within 30 miles of Statesboro are eligible for the Interlibrary Loan services of getting photocopies from journals or books that aren't owned by Henderson Library and borrowing items from other libraries. (If a needed book is available GIL Express, these students need to use that service.)

**This is for Georgia Southern research needs only - textbooks and required class materials are not requested via ILLiad.**

**Do not make requests on your account for anyone else, such as faculty or staff. Please make a shared account if you are to make requests in your work as a student assistant.**

Faculty, faculty emeriti and administrative staff are eligible for Document Delivery services as well as Interlibrary Loan. This group of users is not required to use GIL Express for available books. Any item needed as a loan or photocopy can be requested via an ILLiad account. If we own the item, we will supply it from our library. If we don't own the item, we will request it from another library. Articles will be delivered electronically via the ILLiad account. Books and other borrowed items are mailed to faculty offices or are picked up at the circulation desk, as is anything deemed "library use only" by owning library such as newspaper microfilm. Faculty on Educational Leave who live outside of Statesboro are given Distance Learner service of having items mailed to them.

**Faculty who have students helping with their research requests, or are a member of a research project, please see info about Shared Account.**

Distance Learners are currently enrolled Georgia Southern students who live more than 30 miles from Statesboro and don't come to Statesboro for any classes this semester. They are eligible for ILL service and Document Delivery service via their ILLiad accounts. Photocopies of articles or chapters are delivered electronically, whether owned by us or another library. Any books owned by our library are charged out to them and mailed to their homes with a postage-paid return label. Any books borrowed from another library are also mailed to their homes with the return label. The mailed items need to be returned to our library packaged securely and by the due date.

**Distance Learners who take classes on another USG campus may find it advantageous to use the GIL Express service. They can pick up and drop off books at the other library and order from the whole University System of Georgia, not just Georgia Southern.**

Any Georgia Southern staff member who is also a student or graduate student should choose the appropriate student status in their ILLiad account if that is the reason for the requests.

Distance Learners who live farther away than neighboring states may be deemed ineligible for receiving ILL books.

There are exceptions to any rule.If you have special circumstances, please contact the ILL office.

Why do I need a username and password to use ILLiad?

Your username and password allows us to give you secure access to information about your interlibrary loan requests. Your username is your Eagle ID. Your password can be anything you like. We recommend that you follow good security practice and choose a password that is different from those you use to access other systems. No one but you will know your password, not even the library staff. The password you set is stored in an encrypted file.

You may change your password and edit your personal information such as address, e-mail or phone number as needed.

Can I create a Shared Account?

If you are faculty or administrative staff with student assistants or staff making your ILLiad requests, please make a Shared Account which is eligible for the same services as faculty accounts including Document Delivery. For the login, enter "912345" plus the last three digits of the faculty member’s Eagle ID -ex. 912345777. Please register with faculty member’s name and address -the e-mail contact can be the student if you wish.The faculty member will be responsible for all borrowed items. Anyone on this shared account will also likely have a personal ILLiad account.

**A Shared Account can also be made for a specific research project.**

What if I forget my password?

In the event that you forget your password, click on “forgot password?” at the bottom of the sign-on page and follow the directions. In a few minutes, the system will send you an e-mail with a link that will allow you to create a new password and access your account. If for any reason this doesn’t work or you don’t receive an e-mail, call or e-mail ILL office and we can set a temporary password for you to use to get into your account.

What is electronic delivery?

Most libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. In the past we printed these articles and mailed them to students and faculty. Now through ILLiad, the articles are accessible via your ILLiad account in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed and configured to work with your Web browser in order to view, download, and print these articles. **The articles come straight to your account from the supplying library – ILL staff don’t see them to check for errors, etc. Alert us immediately if there is any problem with any electronically received article.**

What can I borrow via ILLiad?

Items that can be borrowed include books, DVDs, CDs, microfilm newspapers, dissertations and music scores. Some items will be deemed "library use only" or "no renewals" by the owning library. Some items may be lent to us for only a few days such as DVDs or bound journals.

What can’t be requested or supplied via ILLiad?

The most common items requested that are ineligible include:

*Anything that is already available to you electronically via a GALILEO database or GIL online catalog . Search by journal title in Electronic Journals A-Z -a choice on library’s homepage.

*On campus students need to also check the GIL online catalog to see if the library owns the needed journal, book or other material.For books,also check the GIL Express online catalog for availability -link is on left side of library’s homepage.

*Textbooks and required readings are not requested for students via the ILLiad service.

What is the procedure for making ILLiad requests?

Enter a separate request for each item that you wish to borrow or article you want photocopied. (Only 1 article per ILLiad request. Multiple volumes of a title to be borrowed can be entered as 1 request.) Each request will be a unique transaction sent out electronically to owning libraries by our ILL department. The key word here is “request” – we don’t always find a library willing to loan the dissertation, video, or book that you want.

Use the appropriate template for what you are requesting – there is one for photocopies of articles or chapters and another for loans to use for books, videos, music scores, and microfilm newspapers. There are also templates for dissertations and conference proceedings. In each template, the required fields are marked with a red *. It is the user’s responsibility to include a complete citation so the correct material can be obtained.

How long does it take the material to get here?

“How long does it take?” is not easy to answer. Your photocopy might get here the next day or could take 2 weeks. Borrowed material could get here in 4 days, or may take as long as a month. It is best to plan ahead.

How long can I keep an item borrowed from another library via ILLiad?

The owning library determines the due date. Usually you are allowed 3-4 weeks, but for microfilm or a video, the loan period may be 1 week or less. Distance learners may often have an item for only 1-2 weeks because of the time it takes to mail the book to their house and get it back. You may request a renewal via your ILLiad account before the item is due. Contact the ILL office if assistance is needed. It is usually a couple days before you find out if the owning library granted your renewal request.

All borrowed items should be returned to the circulation desk in Henderson Library. We are responsible for the material’s safe return to the owning library. Please return your borrowed items on time. Keeping material past its due date is inconsiderate to the owning library and their patrons and can jeopardize our ability to borrow materials from that library in the future.

How is my ILLiad account different from my Library account?

At this time, there is no relation between your ILLiad account and your Library account.

*Your Library account shows you all the books you have checked out of Henderson Library as well as GIL Express books both checked out and requested. From your Library account you can renew your Henderson Library and GIL Express books. (Faculty and Distance Learners request all books via their ILLiad accounts – but any books owned by Henderson Library are checked out to them on their Library accounts – that is confusing!)

*Your ILLiad account lists all the requests you have made via ILLiad – photocopies and loans. ILLiad books checked out to you in the ILLiad system will show on this account. You can request a renewal before the book is due, but the owning library makes the decision on renewals and due dates. ILLiad books all have wrappers on them with your name, the transaction number, and the due date listed.

Is there a fee for using the ILLiad service?

Any fees the library is charged by other libraries for loans or copies are not charged to you. However, if you lose a borrowed item or damage it, the owning library will determine how much is owed for the item and you will be billed for that amount.

Who do I contact if I have problems with or questions about ILLiad?

The Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery office is staffed 8-5 Monday through Friday, 912-478-5405. E-mail is ill@georgiasouthern.edu. At other times, Information Services librarians can help you register or make ILLiad requests – ask them at the Learning Commons desk or call 912-478-5645.