Research Guides: HIST 301: Historian's Craft (Benes, Spring 2025): Using Interlibrary Loan

Using Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) lets us get items for you from other libraries.
You can request any material such as books, articles, DVDs, etc. that are not available at a W&M library. (To request microfilm or microfiche, use the book request form.)
Suggestions for Purchase
Let us know any items you'd like us to purchase, either general recommendations or specific titles. We give priority to materials that support courses taught at William & Mary. Fill in as much information as you have in the form.

Questions

Does it cost money?
- No! ILL charges are covered by the library.
What can we ILL?
- Pretty much anything physical that circulates in a partner library. Books, Microfilm, DVDs, vinyl records, etc.
How long does it take?
- For articles, usually less that 48 hours. For books, maybe a week. For scans of chapters, usually 48 hours. For microfilm, it can be a week or so. It depends on the partner library.
Can I order an ebook?
- Yes! You can request an ebook, though be aware it may actually take longer than requesting a print book because we'll need to set up the ebook temporarily on our servers. This is a good option if you cannot come to campus, but I suggest using it sparingly.
Can I order microfilm?
- Yes, if the partner library allows it to circulate. When you fill out the form, use the "book" options.
Can I order archival material / scans through ILL?
- You can try, yes. Fill out an ILL request as an article scan request. Provide as much information as possible, especially a stable URL to wherever you find the item listed. If we are unable to obtain a scan, we'll let you know.
How can I help the process move smoothly.
- Fill out as much information as possible. If you now the ISBN or DOI, please include it. If you find the item in Worldcat, please include the OCLC number in the notes field. The more information you provide, the faster we can push the request through.

Ordering Microfilm

Use the "Book" option in the ILL system to request microfilm.

Please be as specific as possible, ideally down to the year or film reel number. Many microfilm sets are dozens or hundreds of reels long, and we cannot order that many at once; if you can narrow it to specific reels the request will move much more swiftly.

Look in WorldCat to see which libraries hold the microfilm you need. Go to those library catalogs directly; they often have indexes to which reels you want. Those catalogs will also indicate whether the microfilm circulates.

Because it takes so much time to skim microfilm and scan, most libraries will send the microfilm instead of make a PDF scan.