Inter-library loan

If you need an item for your research, teaching or coursework, and we don't have it in stock, you can request it through our inter-library loan service.

  • All registered staff and students can apply for an inter-library loan however it is expected that most information requirements for undergraduates will be available in our collections or locally. Students on distance learning courses can apply for journal articles or book chapters; we don’t provide a book postal service.
  • Before you make a request, check Discover, the Mitchell Library and other local university catalogues. You might be able to consult the item in a library nearby using the SCONUL Access scheme. We will not process requests for items which we hold in stock or are accessible online. If we are able to simply send you a link to an ebook or electronic journal article already available in the library collection we will aim to do so.
  • Most requests are fulfilled by the British Library. You can normally borrow a book for four weeks; however, if the British Library asks us to return it earlier, we must do so or risk losing our right to borrow.
  • Journal articles, book chapters and conference papers will be supplied electronically where possible. If the lender is the British Library, they will be delivered via the DRM Lite service. Please visit our DRM Lite page for further information.
  • Items are supplied for personal use only. If you need an item to share or use as part of your teaching, please use our scanning service.
  • If you are a GCU researcher or a member of staff looking for a thesis, please see our Theses webpage.

Requests can be placed direct from Discover by either:

  • Carrying out your search and selecting Expand My Results Beyond GCU Library Collections;
    choose the Get It tab where available and sign in;
    click Inter-library loan request,you will be taken to the request form which will be automatically populated with the information about your chosen item.

or

  • Using our Inter-library loan request form. You must log in to use this form and input the information about your request.

For further information, visit our FAQs page. For further help phone 0141 273 1200 or 0141 273 1209, or email the Inter-Library Loan Team at ill@gcu.ac.uk.