Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary Loan: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Interlibrary Loan (ILL)?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is the process that allows the Library of the Marine Corps to request materials from other libraries. ILL allows you to obtain materials from other libraries that are not held by our Library, or that may be checked out by other patrons.

Who can make ILL Requests?

• Authorized Marine Corps Research Library or Quantico Base Library patron with a current library card in good standing (no lost or severely overdue items).

What are some restrictions on ILL Requests?

• We cannot request loans from international libraries, due to military mail restrictions.
• Libraries will not loan physical or digital copies of videos, audiobooks, or eBooks. (Copies of eBook content depends on the lender, and copyright restrictions.)
• U.S. Copyright Law applies to certain requests. This limits the number of pages that can be requested for copies, the number of articles from a single journal, copies of book chapters, and eBook content.

How can I place an ILL Request?

• Online: Using the ILL Request Form.

What information do I need to submit the request?

Please provide as much information as possible about the item you need. This will assist us in locating the correct resource. Worldcat.org is a reliable source of bibliographic information.

• For books: Title, Author(s), Year of Publication, Edition, ISBN, Publisher.
• For articles: Article Title, Author(s), Journal Title, Journal Volume/Number/Issue, Publisher. You may also provide links that will aid in locating the resource (from a website, Worldcat entry, etc.)

How do I pick up my request?

• When the item becomes available, you will receive an email notification indicating that it is ready for pick up (for physical items). Physical items may be picked up at the MCRL or QBL Circulation Desk.

• Electronic items (articles, copies) will be sent to the email address you provided at the time of the request.

What happens if the item is not available?

• If the item is not available, you will receive an email notification to that effect.

How long does this take?

• ILL requests for print books can take 1-3 weeks to arrive, but this is largely dependent on the lender's processing time, and mail delivery time.

• ILL requests for Journal articles/book chapters typically take between 1-7 business days, but this is largely on the lender's processing time.