Inter Library Loans

If you need material that is not kept by the Library, you may wish to order items using the Inter-Library Loan (ILL) Service. The Library can obtain books and journal articles from other libraries outside the University of Bolton on your behalf. Other publications such as conference papers and patents can also be obtained.

Our Inter-Library Loan service is open to students and staff registered at the University of Bolton. It is not currently open to students or staff at our off-campus partners or satellite sites. 

Making a Request

If the item you require is not available, please make a request following these steps.

1. Complete the online Inter-Library Loan request form. To complete this you will need to be signed into your university account.
2. Include all details about the item you want to request, making sure they are as accurate as possible. The fields which you need to fill in will vary according to whether the item you are requesting is a book, a journal article or proceedings from a conference. You may be able to cut and paste the text from your source of reference to help with this. When requesting an item you have found in an index or database, please check that the article is in English.
3. We encourage everyone to submit requests using the online form. This helps us to process requests more quickly and speeds up delivery times. If you require an alternative format of the Inter-Library Loan request form please contact Library@bolton.ac.uk. 
4. Please ensure you tick the copyright declaration box: this is a legal requirement. The copyright declaration requires you to confirm that photocopied items will only be used for private study or for research for a non-commercial purpose. Please see the section on commercial use if you feel your request constitutes commercial copying.
5. Once your ILL request has been submitted, please contact Library@bolton.ac.uk for updates.

How many requests can I make?

There is a limit of 5 requests per student per academic year. If requesting multiple print items please bear in mind that they are likely to arrive at the same time, making it difficult for you to consult them all within the specific loan period.

Journal articles

Articles requested are usually sent via email within three working days of a successful request. You will receive this as a PDF attachment, via email from Library staff. Please note that there may be a delay processing requests during busy periods.

Books

Books normally take longer to arrive. You can usually borrow them for five weeks. You will be notified on your university email account when items have arrived. They can be collected from the Library Desk during staffed hours. We will also notify you of any problems or delays with ILL requests via your university email.

Return of print material

The Inter-Library Loans service depends upon the co-operation of library users. Items supplied in hard copy must be returned on or before the due date. Renewals are not possible. There is a late return fine of 50p per day.

Requesting copies for commercial use

If you require inter-library loans to support activities which are, directly or indirectly, income-generating, this may constitute "commercial copying". It is essential that we are made aware of this when the ILL request form is submitted. For further details on copyright and inter library loans, see the British Library FAQs about Copyright Law