May 21, 2020
The Magic of UW InterLibrary Loan
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is magical!
I don’t just believe that ILL is magical because this is the work that I do, but it is the opinion of others as well. We hear that phrase a lot from our users, especially in this remote learning environment.
Image Source: The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) helps Interlibrary loan obtain items from around the world.
Interlibrary Loan has always been committed to helping the UW community get access to resources from around the globe. The global ILL community has adapted during this crisis to continue providing an efficient service to each other. For example, libraries that have never loaned eBooks have changed their policies to do so, ILL staff have been sharing tips and tricks to make sharing resources easier during this time, and there has even been a group of volunteers from around the world who have agreed to provide free articles to libraries that don’t normally participate in ILL. What does that mean for you at UW? It means we are still here, working every day to ensure our students and faculty are getting accessible materials delivered directly to their accounts—even when campus is closed.
We are working every day to ensure our students and faculty are getting accessible materials delivered directly to their accounts—even when campus is closed.
Some people think that ILL is closed right now because the Libraries buildings are closed and there is no access to physical materials. Not true! The ILL staff are all working remotely, providing the same level of service as always. In fact, we have processed 11,194 requests this quarter. That is about equal to the number of requests we had by this time of Spring Quarter 2019, a total of over 13,000 requests.
The ILL staff are all working remotely, providing the same level of service as always. In fact, we have processed 11,194 requests this quarter.
ILL is still requesting scans from libraries that are able to provide them. We are requesting ebooks when they are available. We are finding alternative resources when the item you need is not available or digitized. We are providing book chapters from digital collections for UW courses. Depending on what you’re looking for – we may be able to get it to you in under an hour or at the most, a few days’ time.
So join your fellow Huskies (3,300+ and counting!*) and request something from Interlibrary Loan. During these times, when it feels like just about everything is shut down— know that you can count on us. Request that item you’ve been trying to find and see what a magical experience ILL can be!
And just for fun- because we are Libraries, and we love data–
The top 10 journal requests for ILL this quarter:
- Nature catalysis
- New England journal of medicine
- Journal of telemedicine and telecare
- Neurology
- The American review of respiratory disease
- The International journal of periodontics & restorative dentistry
- Journal of Alzheimers disease
- Seminars in musculoskeletal radiology
- The American surgeon
- Clinical and experimental rheumatology
The top 10 books:
- The origins of racism in the west
- Crossing the chasm.
- The shaping of social organization: social rule system theory with applications
- Massive and Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears
- Comparative mysticism: an anthology of original sources
- The Marketing Imagination
- The Spanish Enlightenment revisited
- Mind over magma: the story of igneous petrology
- Topographies of whiteness: mapping whiteness in library and information science
- Geology of north-west Borneo: Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah
Whatever you are looking for—if it’s possible to get it to you, we will.
Just like always, ILL is here for you, Huskies.
*3,326 people requested items from March 30th through May 13th as reported by ILLiad data
