Introduction

As you search, you may come across materials that would be useful for your research topic, but we don’t own them here at UMSL. Either they are print resources that are not in our collection, or they are digital resources that are unavailable through any of our databases.

In addition to regular interlibrary loan, many libraries participate in groups called consortia. Your library’s consortium is a network of libraries (typically within the same state) that coordinate to make sharing materials smoother.

Whether your library charges for this service depends on their unique policies and which groups they are members of. At UMSL, there is no charge for borrowing from other libraries, since you already pay to attend the university. The university allocates a budget to the library every year, part of which supports our ILL staff (both full-time professional employees and student workers), shipping costs, consortium membership dues, software costs, and supplies.

MOBIUS

You can search the MOBIUS catalog online either for a specific book or for a general topic. If you find a book you’re interested in, sign in and indicate that you want the book shipped to the UMSL TJ Library Public Service Desk. When the book is ready for pickup, you’ll receive a notification to your UMSL email address.

Did you know: Public libraries also participate in MOBIUS! That means you can get books for casual reading as well as other public library materials sent to UMSL via MOBIUS.

Interlibrary Loan

Use the regular interlibrary loan request form to ask for materials unavailable in MOBIUS.

• print materials from non-MOBIUS libraries
• electronic resources unavailable at UMSL (mostly academic journal articles)
• digital scans of book chapters (either from UMSL or non-UMSL books – usually limited to 1 to 2 chapters for copyright reasons)

Make sure to select the correct type of material at the top of the request form. Articles usually come through as a scanned PDF, while print materials will be shipped to the library. You’ll receive an email notification when the item is ready for viewing or pickup.

Auto-Filling the Request Form

Sometimes, you’ll come across a link in a library record that says “Request Item.” Usually, that means we have access to the item’s metadata (name, authors, date, etc.), but not the full text. Clicking the “Request Item” will usually auto-fill most of the ILL form for you. Simply add in your student status and department, then click “Submit.”

Things to Know About ILL

• Not all materials can be loaned or digitized. There are limitations on unique or older print materials, digital materials that have access restrictions, popular items that need to remain available to the original library’s patrons, and more.
• Timelines to receive ILL materials can vary. Print materials will typically take longer to arrive than digital scans because of the amount of time it takes them to go through the mail system.