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Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery and GIL Express

A guide to getting scans and physical items from around the country.

Interlibrary Loan through ILLiad

Interlibrary Loan (or ILL) is an agreement and service between all types of libraries, whereby a library can borrow an item or get a photocopy from a journal or book that it doesn't own. This is a library-to-library service. You tell us what you need, and we make the request to owning libraries. In turn, they trust us to return the item to them on time and in good condition. Items are requested to support Georgia Southern research and teaching.

ILLiad is the electronic system you use to request an item through Interlibrary Loan. The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym for Interlibrary Loan internet accessible database. Articles and scans from books are sent directly to your ILLiad account. You have thirty (30) days to read, download, and/or print the article(s) as many times as you like. After that they will automatically self-destruct.

Books and other returnables are delivered to your home library for pickup. They have a blue band with your name and the book’s information on the front. Any special conditions such as “In Library Use Only” or “No Renewals” will be noted on the item. These conditions must be honored.

Items need to be returned to the same library when you are finished with them to be processed correctly. Returning items to the wrong location will result in delays and possible temporary blocking of your ILLiad account.

Copyright Notice

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Tips for Interlibrary Loan Success

  • Textbooks and e-books may not be borrowed through ILL.
  • Start your research early and give yourself plenty of time to submit ILL requests. We aim for quick turnaround, but there are factors beyond our control that can sometimes delay the process.
  • Please review the ILL guidelines & FAQ before placing your first order so you are familiar with the process.
  • Before placing any ILL request, please check the library's online catalog. We may already have what you need. 
  • Before placing an ILL request for a Thesis or Dissertation, see if you already have access to the complete PDF in the GALILEO database “Dissertations and Theses Global (ProQuest)”.
  • There are different templates to choose from for making requests for items in your ILLiad account. If you need a scan of a chapter or article, be sure to choose "article or other photocopy" template so you are prompted for all the citation elements. Incomplete requests may be returned to you for updating if the ILL staff can’t figure them out.
  • Keep your ILLiad account contact information up-to-date. This ensures that you get your notifications and messages in a timely fashion.

ILL Trivia

Informal ILL existed between Western European libraries as far back as the 8th Century A.D.  The first known formal, alphabetical library catalog in Western Europe was created in the 12th century.

In 1876, Samuel Green, library director of the Worchester (Mass.) public library, suggested the first formalized system for interlibrary lending for public libraries in the U.S.A.

In 1917, the American Library Association established the first national code for interlibrary loan in the United States.

The Ohio State University and others in Ohio began integrating campus library systems at an early date. In the 1960s, state funds supported development of the Ohio College Library Center, now the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC).  OCLC and its member libraries across the globe cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the largest online public access catalog (OPAC) in the world.

In 1979 OCLC launched resource sharing and processed 565,680 ILL transactions that year.  In 2023 that number had grown to over 7.7 million transactions for electronic and physical items annually.