Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a resource sharing service that allows our users to borrow items that we do not own or subscribe to from another library.

ILL is a free service for students and employees in the School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) and the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines (CNPD).

Login to Interlibrary Loan

Sign up for an account

You must register for an ILL service (ILLiad) account before you can request resources. If you are new to SMHS or CNPD and/or have never used our ILL request system, register first using the steps below.

1. Access the ILLiad registration page.
2. Review the guidelines and terms, particularly the "About your Username and Password" and "Important Copyright Information" sections.
3. Use the "First Time Users Click Here" button to move on to the registration form. Note that doing so acknowledges that you have read and accept the terms of service.
4. Complete all required fields.
5. Use the "Submit Information" button at the bottom of the page to submit your responses.

Request items

Turnaround time for requests can vary. Please allow a minimum of three to five (3-5) business days, which is our typical requirement for journal article requests that are returned in a digital format (PDF). Physical items require more processing and shipping time, so please expect at least two weeks (14 days) for us to take receipt and internally process the request. If the physical item needs to be mailed to you, it may take another 5-7 business days for postal services.

You may request items in one of two ways:

1. Log into your ILLiad account and use the "New Request" menu links, which allow you to enter item information for specific types of resources (e.g., articles, books, book chapters, theses, conference papers, etc.)
2. You may be directed to the library catalog system while searching in one of our subscribed databases or if you're using the LibKey Nomad browser extension. If the library does not have access to the resource you're looking for, you will be offered the opportunity to log into your account and to submit an ILL request directly through that system.

Delivery

No matter how you choose to request your item, articles will normally be delivered electronically (in PDF format) to your ILLiad account inbox. You will need to log into your ILLiad account using the "Login to Interlibrary Loan" button at the top of this page.

Physical item delivery (books, etc.) varies by campus:

• Grand Forks: Items intended for Grand Forks users will be sent to SMHS Library Resources, where they can be picked up from the circulation desk.
• Clinical campuses (Fargo, Bismarck, and Minot) and distance students: Physical items will be shipped directly to your postal address. We cover the outbound shipping costs to you as well as costs to return the item to the lender.

Delivery delays

In addition to shipping times for physical items, there may be other delays in delivery requests:

• Rare resource: If few libraries subscribe to or own the item, it may be hard to find one willing to lend.
• Few/no free lenders: We attempt to request from free lenders first.
• Processing challenges: High-volume lenders may require more time due to the heavy volume of their requests.

Contact

If you experience issues with ILL functions or if you have any questions about this service, please contact our ILL manager.