Interlibrary Loans

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is the service by which registered borrowers of the Robertson Library may obtain material not held in this library. Loans are arranged through cooperative agreements with other libraries.

ILL may also be used to request scans of print materials held in the Robertson Library, often called Scan on Demand or Document Delivery. We scan chapters from print books or articles from print journals.

Materials on Reserve cannot be scanned; students must access those in person. ILL is also the mechanism by which other libraries borrow materials located at the Robertson Library.

ILL is available to all UPEI students, faculty, staff, and registered public borrowers. Costs are paid by the University for students, staff, and faculty.

Note for undergraduates: Requests (except those for honours projects) are filled from Canadian libraries only.

Note for members of the public: If there is a cost to acquire material, you will be notified and payment must be made in person at the Service Desk before the request is filled. Requests from public borrowers are processed when time permits.

Use the "Make an Interlibrary Loan Request" link available in most of our databases to pre-populate the request form. Submit a separate form for each chapter, article, or book. A manual form is also available on the ILL page.

Before placing a request, check that we don't already own the item:

• Search the Library catalogue for print and electronic books.
• Check the Journals tab on the Library homepage by title or ISSN.
• Test a DOI from our holdings or from doi.org.
• Try Google Scholar (with the library plug-in), Unpaywall, or the Open Access Button.

The Library covers costs for undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff. Public borrowers will be charged for any costs incurred, where payment is required before processing.

Download and save articles as soon as they're delivered. For documents accessible only by link, you may access a document 3 times or within 14 days, whichever comes first. If you lose access, email ill@upei.ca.

Many articles are freely available from Google Scholar, ResearchGate, PubMed Central, or arXiv.org - check these first.

Delivery time depends on the accuracy of bibliographic information, the lending library's response, and delivery method.

Digital items are delivered by email as an attachment or a link to a PDF. If you have trouble, try a different browser or contact ill@upei.ca. Tablets may only show the first page; download to a computer and transfer.

Print items are held at the Service Desk. Academic library loans: 42 days (6 weeks). Public library loans: 28 days (4 weeks). Email at least 2 business days before the due date to request an extension.

• Books not owned by Robertson Library (note in the form if you need print over ebook)
• Books that are missing or at the bindery
• Chapters from a book, print or electronic (up to 20% of the book)
• Journal articles (one article per journal issue)
• Newspapers (microform only)
• Conference proceedings
• Theses - many are freely available via PQDT Open, OpenDOAR, or Google Scholar
• Microforms
• Audiovisual materials (subject to availability)

• Ebooks - publisher restrictions usually prevent sharing, though some exceptions exist
• Current textbooks - most libraries won't have a circulating copy
• Items available at Robertson Library - though we can scan chapters via Scan on Demand; Reserve materials must be accessed in person
• Software
• Entire journal issues - individual articles only
• Reference material - though sections/topics can be scanned as a PDF (use "book chapter" type on the form)

Email is the primary contact method. The system uses the email address used when submitting a request. To use a different address, add it to the Notes field of each request.

Print items are held at the Service Desk for pickup. We will send you an email notification when your item is ready.

Digital items result in a notification by email when your article or chapter is ready. In some cases, the document will be attached to the message. In others, please follow the link in that email to access your resource.

The loan period begins when Robertson Library receives the item, not when you pick it up. Email ill@upei.ca at least 2 business days before the due date to request an extension.

Occasionally a lending institution recalls material early, in which case you'll be notified and must return the item promptly. Overdue ILL materials may incur a $1.00/day fine.

Return borrowed materials, with the UPEI Interlibrary Loan book sleeve, directly to the Service Desk by the due date.

Fines of $1.00 per day may be levied for materials returned after the due date. Lost or long-overdue books will result in overdue fines and replacement fees at the discretion of the lending library.