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What is an interlibrary loan?

If the material you need is not available through Edinburgh Napier University Library, you may be able to access it using interlibrary loan. 

The Library can request physical books or journals, as well as digital book chapters or journal articles, from partner institutions across the UK (including the British Library).

You may also be able to consult materials in person at other academic libraries. Many institutions welcome external visitors for reference use, though check details before you visit. See Other libraries.

 
 
 
 
Spines of periodicals on a bookshelf

How do I request an Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

1. Go to LibrarySearch.
2. Sign in to make an ILL request and to get full search results. 

3. Search for the item you need to check if it is available in Edinburgh Napier University Libraries.

4. Click the 'Interlibrary Loan' tab at the top if you can't find the item.

5. Complete the form, filling in as many fields as possible.

6. Click 'Request'.








 
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of material is available?

Academic books, journal articles, conference proceedings and reports are generally available. Market research reports, unpublished reports and papers can be difficult to borrow. 

The British Library's thesis service EThOS is currently unavailable due to a cyber attack in 2023. See the Finding Theses page for information on finding theses in Edinburgh Napier University and other institutions. 
 

Who can use our Interlibrary Loan service?

The service is available to all Edinburgh Napier University staff and students within the UK. Make sure you return any overdue items and pay any fines and charges before making an ILL request. Requests for physical items must be collected from a library.

How much does it cost?

This service is free for students and staff at Edinburgh Napier University. Please note that this means that the University is paying for the service on your behalf, and only order items that you are sure that you will be able to use/collect (e.g. Borrowed books may expire on the request shelf if you are away on holiday or unable to collect). 

How long will my Inter Library Loan request take?

Requests are usually supplied within 3-15 working days but we can't guarantee delivery within a specific time. Allow at least 3 days to receive a journal article and about 15 days for a book request. We also advise that you don't request a book just before going on holiday as it could arrive when you're away. 

How are journal articles delivered to me?

Journal articles will be emailed to you.
 

How do book loans work?

The normal loan period is 5 weeks from the date the item arrives at the University. We'll send you an email saying the item has arrived and it's ready for you to collect. You need to specify which campus library you'll collect the item from when you complete the request form, but you can return it to any campus library. 

Recalls – the external lending library can ask us to return an Interlibrary Loan before its due date. If this happens, we'll send an email to your University email account asking you to return it as soon as possible.

Lost or damaged items - Edinburgh Napier University Library is charged for items that are lost or damaged by our borrowers. We pass on this charge, plus any administrative costs, to the borrower.

Late returns - the external lending library may charge a fine for late return of an Interlibrary Loan.  If this happens, we will ask you to pay this charge in full.

 
 

Contact us

All correspondence about Inter Library Loan requests will be through your University email account. Contact ill@napier.ac.uk or call 0131 455 3500 if you have any questions about the Inter Library Loan service.