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Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and Document Delivery: General Info

Interlibrary Loan Alert

Holiday Closures

Due to the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year holidays, several libraries have reduced staff and operating hours. This may result in a longer than usual wait for routine interlibrary loan requests. Book requests may also take longer due to delays with shipping.

The TTUHSC El Paso Libraries of the Health Science will be closed the following days:

  • November 24 - 27

  • December 23 - 26

  • December 31 - January 2

We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Service Levels

Routine

2 - 10 business days to process.
Free ILL for TTUHSCEP. There is a fee for contracts, public, and document delivery.
The vast majority of these are completed within 2 business days.

RUSH

1 business day to process.
There is a fee associated with this service.

Emergency

4 hours to process.
Urgent patient care only. 
There is a fee associated with this service.

Notification, Pickup, and Payment

  • Patrons are notified by email when items are ready for pickup.
  • Filled article requests are uploaded to patron's ILLiad account.
  • If the request cannot be filled, patron will be notified.
  • Pickup for books and audiovisuals is at the circulation counter.
  • Credit/debit card payment is required at pickup unless a departmental account number is provided on the request.
 Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan Fees

About Interlibrary Loan/ Document Delivery

Walk-In Interlibrary Loan / Document Delivery Services
The Library no longer accepts walk-in, email, faxed, or printed interlibrary loan or document delivery requests. All requests for articles, books, audiovisuals, etc. need to be requested via ILLiad.
Computers are available at each library location for patrons to log in to their ILLiad account. 
Library staff are happy to assist patrons in creating an ILLiad account.

Online Interlibrary Loan / Document Delivery Services

Service is available to all TTUHSC El Paso library card holders requiring books, photocopies of journal articles, or audiovisuals not available at the library.
 

Interlibrary Loan and Required Textbooks
If you need a textbook for a class, we do not recommend that you request this book through Interlibrary Loan. ILL staff cannot guarantee when books will arrive, and the loan period may not last for the entire semester.  Furthermore, many libraries do not purchase textbooks (or are unwilling to lend textbooks to other libraries); as a result, most ILL requests for textbooks must be canceled. 

Differences Between Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery

Interlibrary Loan Document Delivery
Routine

FREE - Requests for items not owned by the TTUHSC El Paso libraries, such as books or journals from non-TTUHSC El Paso libraries. Requests are processed within 2-10 business days.

 NOT FREE - Convenience PDF copies of journal articles or book chapters already owned or licensed by the TTUHSC El Paso libraries when the patron is unable or unwilling to self-service scan the item (e.g., distance students, or the journal is held in remote storage).
Rush / 
Urgent
Patient Care		 NOT FREE – Rush requests for the above items. Requests are processed within 24 hours (Note: Physical items such as books and DVDs are not eligible for rush delivery.)

NOT FREE - Convenience PDF copies of journal articles or book chapters already owned or licensed by the TTUHSC El Paso libraries when the patron is unable or unwilling to self-service scan the item (e.g., distance students, or the journal is held in remote storage).
NOTE:  Requests for items available either in print or through library resources (Document Delivery) will be filled and billed to the patron's department. If you would prefer library staff to notify you that an item is available so that you may access it yourself, please state so in the notes section of your ILLiad request. 

Useful Websites

PubMed
Use PubMed to search for articles on a given topic.
Google Scholar
Use Google Scholar to search for articles available online.
Gold Rush
Use Gold Rush if you have a citation or want to browse a journal and want to see if the library already has free full-text access.
WorldCat
WorldCat connects you to the collections and services of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide.                                               
BrowZine
Use BrowZine if you have a citation or want to browse a journal and want to see if the library already has free full-text access.

LibKey.io

Use LibKey.io if you have a PMID or DOI to instantly access the article. 

 

 

Manager - Interlibrary Loan

Profile Photo
Andrew Contreras
he/him
Contact:
MEB Library
915-215-4308

Specialist II

Profile Photo
David Vasquez
Contact:
MEB Library
915-215-4712

Interlibrary Loan Hours

Requests made after 4 p.m. on weekdays or on weekends and holidays are processed the following business day.