Interlibrary Loan

Fall 2024: Some users may encounter an error when placing an interlibrary loan request; we are aware of this issue and are working on a solution. Most errors can be resolved by following the troubleshooting steps listed below. If you are still unable to complete your request after troubleshooting, please email ill@uwinnipeg.ca and staff will complete the process manually.

Please note that print books and other physical materials will not be available via interlibrary loan for the duration of the Canada Post strike. Requests for electronic materials (i.e. PDFs of articles and book chapters) will still be processed as usual.

If you are interested in partner Libraries with which we have reciprocal borrowing privileges, please see Other Libraries. This LibGuide also provides links to other regional Libraries. The InterLibrary Loan service provides access to material not held in the University of Winnipeg Library. This service is available to UW faculty, staff, and students with a valid library card. The University of Winnipeg Library participates in several provincial, regional and national resource sharing agreements that extend users' access to materials held by other libraries.

Please read our quick guide for instructions on how to place an interlibrary loan request.

Requesting items

UWinnipeg faculty, staff, and students can place InterLibrary Loan requests by using one of the below patron request forms. Please note that these forms are no longer able to check if an item is available through the University of Winnipeg; you must search for an item in Discovery before placing a request.

Journal Article request form
Print Book request form (entire eBooks are not permitted.)
Print/eBook Chapter request form (only one chapter per item is permitted.)

Library institutions not using an interlibrary loan system may request materials from the University of Winnipeg via the following link. Please email ill@uwinnipeg.ca to set up a username and password.

Institution ILL request form

Please note we don't lend directly to patrons of other institutions.

If you have problems using our online forms, you can ask for assistance at the reference desk or contact the InterLibrary Loan Department at ill@uwinnipeg.ca.

The following information should be provided when requesting an item:

Journal Article: Title of Journal, Title of Article, Author, Volume, Issue, Date, Pages, ISSN
Print Book: Title, Author, Date, ISBN, Publisher
Print/eBook Chapter: Title, Chapter Title, Author, Pages, Date, ISBN, Publisher

The source of reference should also be included. Incomplete requests may delay processing.

Items generally not available through InterLibrary Loan

items owned by the University of Winnipeg
original journals (photocopies/PDFs of articles are available, one article per issue)
eBooks
DVDs, audio/visual material
textbooks, theses, and rare books
any item that violates copyright
any item that the lending library does not wish to lend

How long will it take?

Photocopies/scans of articles generally take two to five days. Books generally require three days to three weeks to arrive.

Picking Up InterLibrary Loan Requests

You will receive an email message whenever an item arrives for you. Most articles will be delivered electronically directly to your email. Books and articles that cannot be sent electronically will be available for pickup at the Circulation Desk. You are responsible for any costs incurred due to lost or damaged books.

Loan period and renewals

The loan period is set by the lending library and is typically six weeks from when the material arrives at the Library. The due date is located on the slip inserted at the front of the volume. Renewals may be permitted at the discretion of the lending library and must be requested by contacting ill@uwinnipeg.ca. Requests for renewals should be made 3-5 days before the due date, as the lending library may not grant the request. You are bound by any limitations or restrictions on use imposed by the lending library.

Request Limits

There is no limit on the number of interlibrary loan requests a patron may submit. However, due to the significant amount of staff labour and financial cost involved, we may be unable to fulfill unusually large requests. In such cases, the Library reserves the right to impose a weekly restriction on requests submitted by an individual.

Restrictions on use of materials

Items obtained through InterLibrary Loan are to be used by faculty, staff, or students for research, private study, review or criticism only and should not be redistributed. For more information, see the University of Winnipeg's Copyright Policy.

Lending libraries may place restrictions on items that it lends (e.g. no photocopying, in-library use only, etc.).

Troubleshooting

Some users may encounter an error when trying to place an interlibrary loan request. We are aware of the issue and are working on a solution. In the meantime, please try the following troubleshooting steps:

Ensure that you are clicking "Allow" when asked to authorize access for Identity Management API. This syncs your library account with our ILL request system; no other information is accessed.
Close any extra tabs that you have open.
Clear your browser cache or try placing the request through an incognito window.
Try using a different browser.
Reboot your computer.
Confirm that your account has not expired by emailing circulation@uwinnipeg.ca or calling 204-786-9808.

If you are still unable to place a request after trying each of the above steps, please email the item information to ill@uwinnipeg.ca and we will fill the request manually. Remember to let us know what troubleshooting steps you have already tried!

Agreements

COPPUL / OCUL / CAUL-CBUA / CREPUQ Resource Sharing Agreement

Manitoba Library Consortium Inc. Library Express Agreement

Contact

Phone: (204) 786-9814
Email: ill@uwinnipeg.ca