Requesting Items

The Library provides access to a wide variety of materials that support the curriculum and the research needs of students, faculty and staff. Print and electronic resources are carefully selected to meet those demands but even the largest collections cannot include everything that may be needed. The Intrasystem and Interlibrary Loan services help users access some of those materials by allowing the request of items that are not currently available from the Library. 

Intrasystem Loan (ISL)

Intrasystem Loans are the borrowing of physical items, such as books or DVDs, from another UH campus library. It usually takes about 4 to 7 business days for requested items to arrive at the selected pick-up location. 

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary Loan requests are placed to get a copy of an article or book chapter from another library or to borrow a book from outside the UH system. Article and book chapter requests usually take 1 to 2 business days but they may take a few additional days, if the requests are fulfilled by a partner library. Book loan requests are available to faculty and staff and could take up to four weeks, if fulfilled by a partner institution.

Placing Requests

OneSearch: both ISL and ILL requests may be made in OneSearch. Please see the instructions on the Requesting Items Library website page for more information. 

ILL Request Forms: Article, Book Chapter and Book request forms may be used as needed to submit interlibrary loan requests. These forms are available from the Library website’s Interlibrary Loan page.

Additional Information about ILL

• Requests are processed as soon as possible but the turnaround time varies and it may take additional time for some items to become available if the requests are fulfilled.
• Request processing delays can be avoided by reviewing the request form information to make sure that it is accurate and complete before submitting it.
• Email notifications are sent if there are any questions about a request, as soon as there are any updates and when pickup and delivery information to retrieve a requested item becomes available. 

Please email your intrasystem or interlibrary loan related questions to uhwoill@hawaii.edu.

[About the header image: library books photo by geralt has an open Pixabay license]