Interlibrary loan

The Interlibrary Loan Unit coordinates with other libraries to borrow materials not held at any UMaine library. Use ILLiad to request materials or see below for other options.

ILLiad Accounts

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Hours and Contact Information

Hours: Mon-Fri 8AM- 4:30PM
Phone: 207.581.1671
Email: library.ill@maine.edu

What is interlibrary loan?

If Fogler Library doesn’t have the book or article you’re looking for, another library may lend it to us for you. This service is available to anyone affiliated with the University of Maine including students, faculty, and staff. It is also completely free.

Request books from other UMaine libraries through Library Search.

Check MaineCat to request books held at other libraries around the state of Maine.

For all articles and any books not held in Maine, use ILLiad.

ILLiad

ILLiad is the name of the software program used by Fogler Library to manage interlibrary loan services. An ILLiad account is necessary in order to place requests.

Creating an ILLiad Account

  • Click Create New Account to create an account. Read the copyright notice.
  • Your username can be whatever you want it to be. You don’t have to use your U Maine credentials, but it might be easier.
  • Do not use the “@” symbol as part of your login name.  Access errors occur.
  • Be sure to use your UMaine email address when filling out the form.

Making a Request

  • After logging into your account, choose the type of item you are requesting from the ‘New Request’ box on the left. Book, article, and book chapter are the most common.
  • Provide as much information as possible. The more information given to us, the quicker the request can be fulfilled.
  • Articles, book chapters, and other documents will be delivered as a PDF that you access via your ILL (ILLiad) account.
  • Books will be delivered physically. It is very rare to be able to get an entire book delivered electronically.
  • Some types of items can be difficult to obtain. Technical standards, dissertations, theses, and archival materials might not be possible to obtain or they might take longer than the average request. 
  • We cannot make requests for textbooks.
  • There are no limits as to the number of requests you can make at one time.

Picking up your Book (or other physical item)

  • When your request has arrived, you will receive an email that it is available.
  • You can pick up your item at the Reserve Desk located in the Reserve Reading Room on the 1st Floor of Fogler Library.

Reading your Electronic Document

  • When the article is delivered, you will receive an email that it is available.
  • Login to your ILLiad account and go to ‘Electronically Received Articles’ to access the PDF.
  • Articles will remain on your account for 30 days or you download it 5 times.. 
  • We recommend downloading the article, so you can have it forever.

Due Dates and Renewals

  • Due dates are determined by the library that lends the item. The ILL department strives to borrow from libraries with longer lending times but that’s not always possible. Anything from 4-16 weeks is possible.
  • You can request a renewal in your ILLiad account by going to the ‘Checked Out Items’ section.
  • Whether a renewal is granted and for how long is up to the lending library.

Books available at UMaine or other Maine libraries

  • You can get books available at Fogler Library and other UMaine campuses by clicking Request in our online catalog.
  • MaineCat lets you search a wider selection of Maine libraries. It also has a request function enabling you to get a book delivered to Fogler Library.
  • After making a request in our catalog or MaineCat, you will receive an email when they are ready for pick up at the Reserve Desk in Fogler Library.

Articles available at UMaine

  • Most articles provided by Fogler Library will be available electronically. Check out Research Guides to find Databases specific to your subject or search the journal title in LibrarySearch.
  • If you have any problems accessing an article, you should contact a librarian. Librarians are available in person, on chat, on the phone, and over email. More information can be found here. 
  • Some articles will only be available in print. The Interlibrary Loan department is willing to scan individual articles and send them to you as a PDF. You can submit a scan request the exact same way making an Interlibrary Loan request, described above.