Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Allows you to request materials owned by other libraries all over the world. You can use Interlibrary Loan to request physical items, scans of chapters or sections of books, as well as scans of articles the library does not own.
Note that turnaround times for ILL may vary depending on what you're requesting and how long it takes to travel to us. The individual tabs for Books, Book Chapters and Articles have more details about what to expect.
To check the status of an ILL request you've already placed, follow the instructions below:
Request Books
Note that turnaround times for ILL may vary depending on how far the book has to travel, and how speedily the U.S. Mail is traveling at any given time. We recommend planning 1-2 weeks for the book to arrive, but it may take more or less time depending on factors like other libraries’ response time, the other library’s location, and mailing delays. We usually can’t tell in advance when an item will be here. Don't have enough time? Consider requesting a Book Chapter instead.
To request a book on Interlibrary Loan:
- Sign into the Interlibrary Loan system, ILLiad, using your Holy Cross Google login.
- Once you have logged in, choose "Book" under the ILL menu:
- Fill out the request form. A good rule of thumb is to include at least the information you would need to cite the book, if possible (author(s), book title, date of publication, publisher). The more information you include, the more easily and quickly our staff will be able to place your request.
- Under Choose a pick up Location, choose Pick-up in Dinand.
- You will receive an e-mail notification when your book is ready for pick-up.
Request Book Chapters
If you're crunched for time, requesting a book chapter can be a good alternative to waiting for an ILL book to come in the mail. Book chapters are delivered in the form of digital scans, so they tend to arrive more quickly. Turnaround times may still vary, but you can expect most book chapter requests to arrive in less than 1 week.
How do I know what chapter to request?
If you originally planned to read the whole book, you might not know where to start with choosing the right sections. Here are some tips for identifying chapters for your request:
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CrossSearch. Some, but not all, of our books include a table of contents in CrossSearch. If there is one, you can usually find it in the full catalog page for the book -- or, look for a button that says Table of Contents only and/or Publisher Description.
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Google Books. While Google rarely provides unrestricted previews, you can often see enough to read the Table of Contents, and maybe even to skim a chapter or two.
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Amazon. Again, Amazon does not provide unrestricted previews, but will often let you view a Table of Contents using the Look Inside feature.
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WorldCat. A “world catalog” of books from libraries all over the world. Many WorldCat records include a list of chapters for books. *Note: While WorldCat includes a direct link for ILL requests, this link is designed for Book requests only and usually does not work for Book Chapters.
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Publisher’s Website. Try Googling the title of the book (in quotations) along with the name of the publisher listed in CrossSearch. If it is a relatively-recent book, or at least still in-print, you may be able to find a list of contents on their website.
To request a book chapter on Interlibrary Loan:
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Sign into the Interlibrary Loan system, ILLiad, using your Holy Cross Google login.
- Once you have logged in, choose "Book" under the ILL menu:
- Fill out the request form. A good rule of thumb is to include at least the information you would need to cite the chapter, if possible (chapter and book author, chapter and book title, date of publication, publisher, and, ideally, page numbers). The more information you include, the more easily and quickly our staff will be able to place your request.
- Once your request has been fulfilled, you will receive a notification and link to download your PDF in your Holy Cross email. PDFs usually only remain in the online system for a few weeks, so make sure to download it right away.
Request Articles
Articles are delivered in the form of digital scans, so they tend to arrive more quickly. Turnaround times may still vary, but you can expect most article requests to arrive in less than 1 week.
Request an Article via Database:
If you have found an article you would like to request in the article databases and no electronic access is available, you can use the 
button to request an article on Interlibrary Loan or Document Delivery.
- Click the
button. When the pop-up box opens, choose
- Sign in using your Holy Cross Google login.
- You should be brought automatically to the Article Request form. The database will fill out most information for you. Check to make sure the information entered is accurate (to help us find your article sooner!). A good rule of thumb is to include at least the information you would need to cite the chapter, if possible (author, article and journal title, volume, issue, and page numbers). The more information you include, the more easily and quickly our staff will be able to place your request.
- Once your request has been fulfilled, you will receive a notification and link to download your PDF in your Holy Cross email. PDFs usually only remain in the online system for a few weeks, so make sure to download it right away.
Request an Article by Citation:
- Sign into the Interlibrary Loan system, ILLiad, using your Holy Cross Google login.
- Once you have logged in, choose "Article" under the ILL menu:
- Fill out the request form. A good rule of thumb is to include at least the information you would need to cite the article (author, article and journal title, volume, issue, and page numbers). The more information you include, the more easily and quickly our staff will be able to place your request.
- Once your request has been fulfilled, you will receive a notification and link to download your PDF in your Holy Cross email. PDFs usually only remain in the online system for a few weeks, so make sure to download it right away.
Other Sources
Other Sources for Books:
Even for books not owned by the library, given enough time, we can almost always get you access!
Interlibrary Loan is described in detail at the top of this page, and is always a 'back up' option. But, you may have other options for accessing a book even more quickly! Here are a few:
- Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/inlibrary. The Internet Archive has over 4 million ebooks that you can 'borrow' and read online with just a free account (and don't worry, it's a reputable site). The older the book, the better odds that it's available in the Archive, but there are books published as recently as the 2010s available in their collection.
- Boston Public Library, https://www.bpl.org/ebooks/. The Boston Public Library has an extensive collection of ebooks and audio books (as well as useful research databases), and anyone living, working or studying in Massachusetts is eligible for access. Register for an eCard (note that it may take a day or two to be approved) to begin borrowing.
- Worcester Academic & Research Collaborative (ARC) is an agreement between universities and libraries around the Worcester area. Under ARC, you can walk into most participating libraries and check out one of their books on the spot -- you will just need your HC ID and an ARC card, which you can get from the front desk in Dinand Library. To see the list of libraries and their particular borrowing policies, visit the ARC Website. To find out whether the book you want is available at an ARC library, search the WorldCat catalog and check the list of available libraries -- or ask a librarian for help.
Other Sources for Articles:
Even for articles outside of our subscriptions, given enough time, we can almost always get you access!
Interlibrary Loan is described in detail at the top of this page, and is always a 'back up' option. But, you may have other options for accessing an article even more quickly.
Check Google Scholar
Searching for the title of an article in Google Scholar will often show options for free access, for example through the author's personal website or institutional repository.
While you are on campus, Google Scholar will also automatically attempt to show you access options via Holy Cross databases (though this is not comprehensive). If you would like to use the same tools off-campus, you can add Holy Cross in your Scholar Settings.
Use Browser Plugins
These browser plugins will help you find free full text of articles you’re looking for online. Please note that these plugins are developed and maintained by third-party groups and your use of them is governed by their terms of service.
- Unpaywall
When you’re viewing an article page, the Unpaywall padlock icon appears on the right-hand side of your screen, green if freely available, grey if not. Click on the padlock to download a PDF of the article. Works in Chrome and Firefox. - Open Access Button
When you’re viewing an article page, click on the Open Access Button icon in your toolbar to download a PDF of the article. If unavailable, the OA Button helps you send a request for access to the author. Works in Chrome and Firefox. - Google Scholar Button
When you’re viewing an article page, click on the Google Scholar button in your toolbar. If you can download the article for free, there will be a link to the PDF in a pop-up dialog box. Works in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
Ask a Librarian
Ask us for help! We sometimes have tricks and ideas for locating articles beyond what is listed here. You can contact Jennifer directly or simply send an email to libref@holycross.edu.