Interlibrary Loans
Interlibrary Loan services for members of Senate House Library
Interlibrary Loan services for other libraries
Contact us
Interlibrary Loan services for members of Senate House Library
If an item you require is not available at Senate House Library we can attempt to obtain it from another library for you.
Charges
- Loan from UK library: £20
- Copy from UK library: £13
- Loan of copy from overseas library: Variable
- Postal delivery of photocopies within UK: £1 additional charge
As our interlibrary loan service is not subsidised by the University users are required to pay the full amount. You may therefore prefer to use the interlibrary loan service offered by your home academic library if you have one, or your public library - both of which usually offer a subsidised interlibrary loan service.
We will always try to obtain the item from a library in the UK in the first instance. If you wish, you can request that we apply overseas if the item you have ordered is not available from within the UK. There is no standard charge for overseas requests, but you can specify the maximum amount you are willing to pay. As a rough guide, copies from overseas libraries cost a minimum of £15, and loans from overseas libraries cost a minimum of £25.
Should I request a loan or a copy?
If you need to see just one article from a journal or one chapter from a book it is usually cheaper to request a copy. Copyright law does not allow copying of more than one article from the same issue of a journal, so if you need to see more than this amount you can request a loan of the entire journal issue, although it can be difficult to find a library willing to loan journals.
Theses and dissertations
Although it is possible to order theses through the Interlibrary Loan service, most UK theses can be obtained free of charge through the EThOS (Electronic Theses Online) service. Copies of theses submitted to overseas universities can often be purchased through the UMI Dissertation Express service.
Making a request
Please complete an Interlibrary Loan Order Form.. The form can be handed in at any of the Senate House Library service points or returned to us by post, email or fax. The order form includes a mandatory copyright declaration that must be signed by hand if you are ordering a copy.
How long will it take?
It is difficult to predict how long an item will take to arrive. Sometimes items can arrive within a few days, but you should be prepared to wait at least 21 days. When you submit your request you can specify a cancellation date. If the item has not arrived by then you will not be charged, so long as the cancellation is not less than 21 days later than the date of your request.
If you order a journal article we will try to obtain it from the British Library where possible. As Senate House Library is a member of the United Kingdom Research Reserve (UKRR), articles are usually delivered within 1-2 working days.
Can items be taken home?
Usually items can be taken home, although this will depend on the supplying library. If it is essential that you are able to take an item home you should specify this on the order form, although this may mean that we will be unable to find a library that will supply it. If you have requested a journal on loan this will always be for use in the library only, although if you have requested a copy this will be yours to keep.
Delivery
If you have ordered a copy, we will notify you when it arrives and ask you whether you would like to collect it from the 4th floor Circulation desk or have it sent to you by post (or email in the case of digital copies). Postal delivery incurs an additional charge (see above).
If you have requested a loan we will notify you when it arrives and you will need to collect it from the library in person.
Loan period
This will be determined by the supplying library although it is usually at least 2 weeks. If you need to extend the loan period, you should contact the Document Supply Services team at least 5 days before the due date and we will request a renewal with the supplying library. If an additional fee is required we will confirm this with you before proceeding. If an item cannot be renewed you will need to return it to us by the original due date.
Lost or damaged items
If an item is lost or damaged whilst in your possession you will be liable for any costs levied by the supplying library. In the case of items borrowed from the British Library, replacement fees are in excess of £150 so we recommend you do not leave items borrowed on interlibrary loan unattended at any time. If you return an item later than the agreed due date you will also be liable for any overdue charges. You will also be liable for any charges if an item is returned to us later than the due date.
Interlibrary Loan services for other libraries
Charges
If an item you require is not available at Senate House Library we can attempt to obtain it from another library for you. See below for current charges.
Web
- Loan
- Copy £7.50 (£8.98 in VAT)
UK
- Loan £9
- Copy: £8.40(inc VAT £10.08)
Ireland
- Loan: £14
- Copy: £9.52 (inc VAT £11.42)
Europe
- Loan: £16
- Copy: £9.52(£11.42)
Outside Europe
- Loan: £20
- Copy: £11.25
Supply policy
Most items are loaned for 12 weeks with a free renewal available upon request, provided the item has not been requested by another user or library. In some cases we may need to shorten the loan period, although the minimum loan period is 28 days. We may also at our discretion loan items on a non-renewable basis. Most items are loaned for home use, but in some cases items may be loaned for library use only. If home use is essential then please state this in your request.
The following cannot be loaned
- Reference Only material
- Items more than 100 years old
- Journals
- Special Collections
- Maps
- Examination papers
- Teaching Collections
- Theses cannot be loaned to libraries outside of the UK and Ireland. See below for further information on theses
If an item cannot be loaned we may be able to supply a copy instead. Copies are supplied in accordance with UK copyright law. Copies of material from our collections can also be purchased by individual customers through our SHL Reproductions service. If you have requested a copy of an item in our Special Collections, we will normally advise you to place an imaging order through the SHL Reproductions service instead.
University of London theses
Senate House Library holds theses awarded by the University of London External Programme (now the University of London International Programme), and the School of Advanced Study. Most other University of London theses are held by the various colleges of the federal University (e.g. UCL, King's, LSE etc). College-held theses are not usually available for loan to other libraries, although each college library has its own lending policy so you are advised to check with the holding college directly. Contact details for college libraries are available in the British Library Directory of UK Libraries. Most University of London doctoral theses are available through the Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS). Please visit http://ethos.bl.uk to search the EThOS catalogue.
Making a request
Libraries in the UK and Republic of Ireland
Requests can be made by email, post or fax. Alternatively, use our online order form. Please include your British Library account number and a request number. Please indicate any special requirements, such as home reading only or electronic delivery. See here for terms and conditions applicable to our Interlibary Loan service.
Overseas libraries
Requests can be made by email, post or fax, or using our online order form. Please note, requests for copies MUST be submitted using the online order form, and copies are supplied in accordance with UK copyright law. Please indicate any special requirements, such as home reading only or electronic delivery.
Payment can then be made with IFLA vouchers, cheque, credit or debit card. We will contact you to confirm the price unless you have specified a maximum price on your order that matches or exceeds the actual price. Please do not send payment until you have received the item. See here for terms and conditions applicable to our Interlibary Loan service.
Delivery
Loans are shipped via Parcel Force. Photocopies are shipped via first class post within the UK, and by Airmail to overseas libraries. Electronic copies are shipped via means of a web-link via email, and receiving libraries are expected to print out the copy and supply the end user with a single paper copy only.
Contact us
Document Supply Services
Senate House Library
Malet Street
London WC1E 7HU
United Kingdom
Telephone
+44(0)20 7862 8447
Fax
+44(0)20 7664 5564
shl.document.supply@london.ac.uk
