Obtaining Library Materials from Other Libraries

To request a book or journal article/book chapter that is not available in the Elon University Library, please use one of the methods below. These services are only available to Elon University students, faculty, and staff.

Belk Library does not request textbooks through Interlibrary Loan. Please refer to our Interlibrary Loan Textbook Policy.

General Information About Interlibrary Loan

  • Most libraries will not loan entire issues of journals, audio/video materials, or computer disks.
  • You will be emailed when your item arrives, and it will be available at the Library Service Desk. Articles and book chapters will be emailed directly to you.
  • If you want to check on the status of your requests, stop by Belk Library or call Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Ask to speak to the Interlibrary Loan & Reserves Specialist.

Request a Book

  • STOP! Please check the Belk Library Catalog first to see if the book is in our library! This is fast and easy.
  • You do not need to find out which libraries own the book. We will do that for you.
  • Books from other libraries may take up to 10 days to arrive, since they are shipped in the mail.
  • Usually the loan period is 3 – 4 weeks, with the possibility of renewing it.

Renew an Interlibrary Loan Book

If you have borrowed a book from another library through Elon University’s Interlibrary Loan service, please fill out the Book Renewal Request Form and someone will contact you regarding your renewal.

Request a Journal Article or Book Chapter

  • Please check to make sure that Belk Library does not own the material you need.
  • You can quickly check to see if Belk Library owns a journal. Use Journal Finder. Type the title of the journal in the Journal Finder search box.
  • Another way to see if the library owns an item is to check Belk Library’s Catalog.
  • If the library does not own or have access to the article/chapter, then
    • We will find the article/chapter for you – you do not need to.
    • Photocopied material usually takes 2 – 5 days to arrive (some items can be rushed, please ask).
    • The photocopied article/chapter will be emailed to you, and will be yours to keep.