Question:
Our answer:
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a library-to-library service that allows FSU scholars to borrow materials owned by other libraries. FSU Libraries acts as an intermediary with other libraries, working to identify potential lenders of the item and arranging for its use by the requesting scholar.
Florida State University Libraries absorbs the cost of Interlibrary Loan materials to support the research and instruction at FSU.
Please note that while this cost is free to you, the FSU Libraries are invoiced for copyright, shipping, and lender fees; the cost for FSU for each item borrowed can be as low as $20 or as high as $150.
You can access the ILL search in two ways. The first is to go to the Library Homepage, and select the "Find and Borrow" icon.
Once on the Find and Borrow page, select the link that says "ILL Search" to search for materials available for ILL requests.
You can also expand your search for ILL items by clicking the slider button to the left of the search results in the catalog.
Once you've located an item available to request through ILL, click the link under the result that says "Check for available services."
This will open the item's record and show request options. Under the "How to Get It" section header, depending on the item type of what you are requesting, select either "Book request through Interlibrary Loan" or "Article request through Interlibrary Loan."
This will bring up the request form for Interlibrary Loans. Some information will be auto-populated from the record, but always review any required fields to make sure the information is correct.
The more information you add to a request, like the OCLC number for example, the more likely it is to be filled quickly! If the information is correct, some requests can be be processed automatically by the ILLiad system. The more a request needs review, the longer it will take until it is filled.
Once you've reviewed the request, make sure to click the "Submit Request" button to finalize your request.
You can also fill out a blank ILL form with the information for your request by logging in to your ILLiad Account, or by selecting "ILL Request" from the options at the top of the search bar.
To learn more about finding the OCLC number for ILL requests, logging in to your ILLiad account, and checking on the status of your ILL request, follow the links to the FAQs below.
Last Reviewed: 4/22/2025