Interlibrary Loan
Requests for materials currently not available from Lewis Library.
About Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Our award-winning Interlibrary loan (ILL) service provides access to materials not currently owned by the library.
- Login to your Library Account to submit your request.
- Turnaround time is usually 1-4 business days.
- ILL requests are available for Alumni & Non-UNT Health members.
Gibson D. Lewis Library's Interlibrary Loan Team has been recognized by OCLC as an Express Library for our “Outstanding Digital Delivery” services.
Items Available For Request
The following items can be requested through ILL:
- books (print only)
- e-book chapters (cannot provide entire e-books)
- articles
- theses/dissertations (other libraries may have limited copies available)
- media (DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, etc.)
Ways to Submit ILL Requests
As a UNT Health affiliate, a library account is created for you.
Find something we don't have while using the library catalog?
Request While Searching in Scopus
Scopus is a database of citations and abstracts from across the sciences: life sciences, social sciences, physical sciences, and health sciences.
Request While Searching in PubMed
PubMed is a database that comprises more than 39 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
Interlibrary Loan FAQ
- Due dates for physical items are set by the lending library.
- Due dates range from one week to several months.
- Request a renewal at least three days before the due date.
- Request a renewal by emailing hscILL@unthsc.edu, or clicking the “Renewal Request” button next to the item in your Library Account.
- Physical items cannot be renewed through the Remote Service Desk.
- Late fees are assessed according to the Gibson D. Lewis Library’s lending policies and fee schedule.
- Damages and lost items are the responsibility of the patron.
- Any fines assessed by the lending library for overdue items will be passed on to the patron.
- Articles and chapters are usually available within 1-4 days.
- Books and other physical items can take up to two weeks to arrive.
- Large orders, incomplete citations, requesting items from other libraries, and waiting on copyright holder’s permission, may result in a longer turnaround time.
- Requests are processed in the order they are received (with some exceptions).
- Requests submitted in December may be delayed due to holiday closings.
- Gibson D. Lewis Library cannot guarantee delivery times. Filling the ILL request depends primarily on the lending library.
- There are times when we are unable to fill a request, though this rarely happens. Patrons are notified when this happens.
Electronic Items
- Electronic items will typically be delivered to your Library Account, under Requests.
- Once the item is delivered, you will have 30 days to view the item, before it expires.
Physical Items
- Physical items will be available for pickup at the Lewis Library Locker Service.
- Return items to a library drop box. Drop boxes are located on the exterior wall of the library (to the left of the main library entrance doors), and inside the library atrium next to the lockers.
- Return items with the book strap intact so items can be checked in and avoid fees.
You can keep track of your ILL requests by logging into your Library Account.
Under the Requests tab, you may see the items requested and their status will be shown.
Video Tips
How To Request Interlibrary Loan Items
Our quick tutorial walks you through the steps to submit a request and get the resources you need for your research.
How To Search Library Catalog
Get tips & tricks of searching Gibson D. Lewis Library Online Catalog
ILL & Copyright
Copyright Limits
Copyright guidelines for interlibrary loan limit libraries to five copies “borrowed” per calendar year from any single periodical title. Beyond that, publisher permission is required. However, this applies only to articles published in the past five years. Under Fair Use guidelines, a library may copy only one article per issue in response to a request. If your request would cause these limits to be exceeded, the library staff will notify you of the item’s availability status and the amount of any royalty fee that will be required to obtain it.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code), governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order, if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
Alumni &
Non-UNT Health Affiliates
UNT Health alumni, as well as entities unaffiliated with UNT Health, have the option to request an account. Library staff will review your application and send an email response by the end of the business week. Account requests are only necessary for non-UNT Health affiliates, including alumni, board members, businesses, health care providers, law firms, and the general public. If you are a UNT Health student, faculty, or staff member, you already have an account generated by the university.