Interlibrary loans
Services for members of Senate House Library
Services for other libraries
Interlibrary Loan services for members of Senate House Library
If an item is not available at Senate House Library we can attempt to obtain it from another Library on your behalf. This is known as an Interlibrary Loan, and may be an actual loan of an item or a copy of it.
To make a request, please complete an Interlibrary Loan request form, available from the Circulation desk on the 4th floor.
Charges
| Loans | £10.95 |
| Copies | £7.95 |
| Items from abroad | Variable |
University of London students are strongly advised to request interlibrary loans through their college library, as this will usually be cheaper.
Payment is collected upon delivery. However, once you have made a request, you are committed to the charges involved and can only cancel a request if we can cancel the request with the supplying library. You should therefore contact us as soon as possible if you want to cancel a request.
In the case of overseas items, we will find out the cost and confirm this with you before continuing.
Delivery
Once you have submitted your form we will attempt to find a library who can supply the item. Turnaround time can be fast, but can take a few weeks - especially if the item is being ordered from overseas.
Once the item arrives we will contact you to advise you the item has arrived. If you have requested a copy we can email this to you if we have been able to get it electronically, or can post it to you for an additional £2.50. Loaned items should be collected from the Circulation desk on the 4th floor.
Loan period
In the case of loaned items, the supplying library may stipulate that they item be consulted within Senate House Library only. If it is essential that you be allowed to take the item home, please specify this on the request form and we will then only borrow the item if it is loaned on this basis. The supplying library will also specify how long the item has been loaned for, although this will usually be at least 2 weeks.
To keep an item for longer than the original loan period, please contact us in advance of the due date and we will request a renewal on your behalf. This will be at the discretion of the supplying library, and may involve additional charges.
If a loaned item is lost, damaged or returned late while in your possession, you will be liable for any charges levied by the supplying library.
Interlibrary Loan services for other libraries
Do we have the item you need?
Senate House Library is part of the University of London Research Library Service or ULRLS. If searching a union catalogue please check that the item is not held at one of the other libraries that constitute the ULRLS. A list of these libraries can be found below. You should always apply directly to the holding library. Requests sent to us (LO/U-1) in error causes delay to our ILL service.
List of ULRLS libraries
ULRLS library British Library code as listed in ‘BL Directory of UK Libraries’
| Institute of Classical Studies | LO/U-7 |
| Institute of Historical Research | LO/U19 |
| Institute of Commonwealth Studies | LO/U-8 |
| Institute for the Study of the Americas | LO/U23 |
| Institute of Advanced Legal Studies | LO/U24 |
| Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies | LO/U10 |
| Warburg Institute | LO/U17 |
| Senate House Library Please see below for lending policy and other information | LO/U-1 |
| Heythrop College: Although not part of the ULRLS, Heythrop is a University of London College which shares the ULRLS catalogue | XQ/C-1 |
Lending policy
We generally loan everything apart from periodicals, reference only material and items more than 100 years old. We do not loan theses to libraries outside of the UK or Republic of Ireland, although we may be able to provide copies through our Document Supply service. We may occasionally decline requests for material that is fragile, unsuitable for transport or in high demand here. Items are loaned for home use apart from theses. Photocopying of theses supplied on ILL is not permitted.
Charges
| Loans | £9.34 |
| Photocopies | £5.75 + VAT |
| Electronic copies | £4.75 + VAT |
Electronic copies are provided as 200dpi PDF files, made available via a web link. Electronic copies are provided on condition that you print the document and then delete it from the server as soon as you have done so. Copies are provided as paper photocopies unless you specify otherwise in your request.
Delivery time
We aim to satisfy requests within 6 working days, although if you have not received a response within 10 working days do send us a chaser. If we cannot satisfy your request we aim to respond or forward it on within 3 working days.
Loan period and renewals
Items are loaned for 3 months, with a free renewal available upon request. An additional renewal would require a new request number. We cannot renew items that have been requested by another user or library.
Making a request
Requests from within the UK or Republic of Ireland should be accompanied by British Library billing information. We accept IFLA vouchers for requests from overseas libraries; we will tell you how many vouchers are required when we receive your request.
Requests can be made by email to shl.ill@london.ac.uk or by post to:
Interlibrary Loans
Senate House Library
Malet Street
London WC1E 7HU
Our telephone number for ILL enquiries is +44(0)20 7862 8447 although phone requests must always be confirmed in writing or by email.
