Library Services during the Coronavirus 

As a temporary measure, the library is suspending the ability to request physical material (books or print articles) via Inter Library Loan. Electronic journal articles will be processed where possible.

See our FAQs Library Guide for further information about accessing alternative e-resources.

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The Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service enables you to request items that are not held at Plymouth University library. Your request will initially be sent to the British Library; if they cannot supply we can try other ILL lending libraries.

ILL requests are paid for by the university. Please make sure that any ILL requests you make are for books or articles essential to your studies, and please also check that the library does not already hold the item, and that it is not available freely online, before placing an ILL.

Making an ILL Request  

1. Log in to Primo with your Plymouth University user name and password

2. Search for the item in Primo by clicking on the Inter Library Loans link at the top of the page.

3. Select the appropriate request type, either Article, Book, or Journal, and fill in as much information as you can.

4. Click on Submit

5. If an Inter Library Loan request is necessary (i.e. the item cannot be supplied from our own stock) you will receive the message:
   
   Your search did not match any resources in the library. Use the link/s below in order to request the resource from other libraries.

6. Click on the link Submit an Interlibrary loan request; the Resource information form will appear, pre-populated with your request details.

7. Edit as necessary, remembering to choose the Digital format for articles, as this means they can be forwarded directly to you. If you need the requested content in an alternative format, due to disability, you should mention this in the Comments field.

8. Click on the Request button.

9. Scroll up the page to make sure the message Request placed has appeared. 

SEDs (Secure Electronic Delivery documents) should arrive within 4 days, and physical items within a week. Please see Inter Library Loan Articles for information on how to access seds.

Some items cannot be supplied by the British Library immediately. They may be on loan to another customer, or the British Library may not hold them in stock. If this is the case we will let you know and ask you if you want us to recall the item, or try to borrow the item from another lending library; these items can take longer to supply, may be subject to different loan periods, and will not always be able to be renewed.

ILL Charges

You are not currently charged for making an ILL request. However, other fees apply.

• There is a £5.10 renewal fee, which will be added to your library account automatically if the item becomes overdue.
• There is a £15 ‘failure to collect’ fee, which will be added to your library account if you fail to collect your physical book or journal request from the library.
• Lost inter library loan books from the British Library will be charged at a minimum of £152.70. Other suppliers may charge different fees. These may be able to be refunded, minus an administration fee, if the lost item is returned within six weeks.

Contact Details

ILL Team illply@plymouth.ac.uk

(01752) 588766