Tips for Faster Service
Although we try to fulfill interlibrary loan requests as quickly as possible, there are some things you can do to help speed up the process.
Search the Brown-Daniel Online Catalog and Databases
Unless special conditions apply, we do not borrow items which the library already owns. If you search for an item in the online catalog or databases first, you may find out that we either own the book or have access to a particular item through one of our online databases. To save yourself some time and grief, search our online catalog and our databases before you submit an interlibrary loan request.
Give complete and accurate citations
When filling out your request form, please give us as much information as possible. When requesting a journal article please give us the following:
Author's name
Article title
Journal title
Volume and issue numbers
Year published
Article page numbers
When requesting a book, please supply us with the following information:
Author's name
Book title
Year published
Edition number
Please note: Incomplete and inaccurate citations will NOT be processed!
Please give us accurate contact information about yourself.
In order to help us process your requests quickly, we need to have your current contact information which includes a valid TSU e-mail address, (not AOL, Yahoo, or Hotmail) mailing address, along with home and work telephone numbers. Our ILLiad service notifies customers of materials arrival via the TSU e-mail service, and should you not supply us with a valid TSU e-mail address, we have no way of contacting you when your material arrives. When your personal information changes, you will need to update it through ILLiad. To change your data via ILLiad, logon with your username and password. Scroll down to the end of the main menu to the Review Personal Information Section. Click on the Change User Information button, make the appropriate changes, and then click on the submit button to send your changes.
Tell us the source of your citation.
In order to help us help you, it is imperative that you tell us where you obtained the citation for your ILL request. Please submit the following when making your request:
Name of database where you found item.
Journal name and article title.
Page numbers
Bibliography title
Any other information you may have about the source.
Supplying us with this information will help us verify a citation should we encounter problems with your request.
Please limit requests to items you really need.
Due to the ever-increasing demand for interlibrary services, we must ask that you request only the items you really need through interlibrary loan. Should you order a large number of materials at the same time (more than ten per week, for example) the interlibrary loan librarian may reserve the right to prioritize your requests. In addition, it may also be to your advantage to stagger your requests over a longer period of time, so that you will have more time to review your materials. If you don't spread your requests out over a reasonable length of time, most of your requests would be due back at the lending library around the same time period.
Plan ahead to allow plenty of time to obtain materials.
Although we encourage you to take advantage of our interlibrary loan services, keep in mind that you need to plan ahead so that the materials will be available when you need them. Once an interlibrary loan item is ordered, it usually takes about 7-14 days for it to reach the Brown-Daniel Library. However, if several libraries have to be contacted before a particular item can be found, the process could take longer. Always plan ahead to make sure all your materials are delivered on time.
Do not order textbooks used in your classes.
We do NOT process interlibrary loan requests for current textbooks used in your classes. Textbooks may be purchased at your campus or local bookstores. They may also be purchased by visiting online sites such as Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, etc.
Ms. Toccara Porter and Mr. Mitchell Chamberlain may be reached at the following telephone numbers and email address:
(615) 963-1528 tporte19@tnstate.edu(615) 963-7190 mchamberlain@tnstate.edu
Should you need to inquire about delivery at any other time, you may contact the Reference staff on the second floor and they will be happy to assist you.
Back to Interlibrary Loan Page
For more information, write the Libraries & Media Centers, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Campus Box 9597, Nashville, TN 37209, or call (615) 963-5211, or click HERE to send an E-Mail.