Information for Catholic University Borrowers

  • Before You Submit a Request: Things to Know

    • This service is only for current Catholic University faculty, students and staff.
    • Students at the Columbus School of Law submit ILL requests at the DuFour Law Library (http://www.law.edu/library).
    • All other library users should submit ILL requests through their home institution.
    • Library staff will process a maximum of 3 requests per day.
    • Loan requests take approximately 2-3 weeks to fill and you will receive an email notification when items are available.
    • Before submitting a request, check the SearchBox to see if the item(s) you need is available in the Consortium Libraries. If it is, you will receive the material more quickly if you request it via Consortium Loan Service.
    • Loans are available for pickup at the Mullen Library Circulation Desk.
    • Articles are sent electronically and are made available through your ILL account.
    • A few libraries do charge for lending materials. University Libraries will cover up to $30 for those items; in the rare instance that the lending library's fee exceeds $30, a Catholic University staff member will email you to see if you wish to pay the additional cost.
    • The loan period for an ILL item is set by the lending library, and typically ranges from two to four weeks from the date the item is received at Catholic University. Failure to return an item by its due date will result in a fine or temporary suspension of your library privileges.
    • Overdue fines are $1.00 per day. Replacement costs of material are determined by the lending institution.
    • ILL materials are subject to recall by the lending library at any time. Recalled items must be returned within 7 days of recall notification and the borrower may be billed for any items that are not returned within that time.
    • Unlike WRLC materials, ILL renewals are granted at the discretion of the lending library. Please contact the ILL department at lib-ill@cua.edu, before the due date, about the possibility of an ILL renewal.
  • How to Submit an ILL request

    1. Log in to your ILL account. If you have difficulty logging in, email lib-ill@cua.edu.
    2. Fill out the form for each item you want by selecting the right type under the New Requests tab at the top bar.
    3. Include as much information as possible. Any incorrect or incomplete information may make it difficult to complete the task. If more information is needed, you will receive a clarification request.

Information for Outside Borrowers

  • Access/Fees/Loan Periods/Policies

    Libraries and institutions not affiliated with Catholic University are also invited to make requests for Catholic University of America material. Requests are processed via the OCLC ILL system, ILLiad, by using our library symbol: DCU.

    If you are not a Catholic University faculty member, student or staff member, submit a request through your home institution or local public library.

    Access

    Before submitting any request it may be helpful to check the current availability of the desired resource by finding it in our catalog. Our catalog is available at SearchBox.

    Fees

    • Reciprocal Libraries: LVIS (Libraries very interested in Sharing); ASRL (Association of Southeastern Research Libraries); WRLC (Washington Research Libraries Consortium) - No Charge
    • Other US Libraries/ Non- Reciprocal Libraries
      • Loans: $10 IFM
      • Articles: $10 IFM
    • International Libraries
      • Articles: $ 10 IFM (IFLA vouchers preferred if not requested via Worldshare or ILLiad)

    Loan Periods, Renewals, and Recalls

    • The standard loan period for an item is 8 weeks from the date the request is filled.
    • Three weeks renewals may be granted subject to availability and will be recalled if needed locally before the assigned due date.

    Policies

    • Any restrictions will be clearly indicated on the book strap.
    • Do not affix any type of adhesive to our items (i.e. tape and "removable" labels).
    • We do not offer rush services.
    • We have several non-circulating collections: Rare Books, ICOR, Semitics, and Central Reserves. Scans from these collections may be available at the discretion of the library staff.
    • Materials Not Available for ILL
      • Entire volumes of journals/periodicals
      • Newspapers
      • Special Collections/Rare Books
      • Course reserves
      • Reference materials
      • Audio-visual Materials
      • Maps
      • Fragile/Brittle materials
      • Other non-circulating items
  • CU Dissertation/Thesis Request

    Locating CU Theses & Dissertations

    • The local catalog, SearchBox. Includes entries for most theses and dissertations.
    • Electronic copies of dissertations dated after 1996 are available through ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, formerly Dissertation Abstracts International, a subscription database searchable by title, author, school, area of study, and more. Those who cannot access this resource may order a copy of a thesis or dissertation from ProQuest Dissertation Express.

    Borrowing a Thesis or Dissertation

    • Print copies will only be circulated outside the CU community if the University Libraries has 2 circulating copies available and the borrowing library is located within the United States.

    Ordering a Digital Scan of a CU Thesis or Dissertation

    Libraries

    • Submit an interlibrary loan request via Tipasa, ILLiad, Clio or Worldshare ILL; IFLA vouchers are accepted for payment.
    • If you do not use an interlibrary loan platform, fill out and submit the CU Dissertation/Thesis Scan Request Form.
    • If the title is already digitized and available for purchase from ProQuest Dissertation Express or TREN [Theological Research Exchange Network], the University Libraries will refer the requester to those sources.

    Individuals

    • Submit an interlibrary loan request through your local public library or a college/university library with which you are affiliated.
    • Individuals with no public or university affiliation may fill out and submit the CU Dissertation/Thesis Scan Request Form.

    Note: Requests for copies of available theses & dissertations will be filled with a digital copy (pdf) at a cost of $30.00. In compliance with Copyright, we will provide a digital copy for private research only, further duplication may be prohibited by law.

Contact Information

  • Phone: 202-319-5063
  • Email: lib-ill@cua.edu
  • Postal Address:
       The Catholic University of America
       Interlibrary Loan Department
       123 Mullen Library
       620 Michigan Avenue
       Washington, DC 20064
       USA