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Interlibrary Loan / Document Delivery

The Interlibrary Loan / Document Delivery Department supports the information needs of library patrons
by obtaining and providing materials that may not be readily available.

ILLiad
Manage or Request Materials

Users of the Alvin Sherman Library can request items from Interlibrary Loan / Document Delivery through their ILLiad account.

 

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Local NSU students, faculty, staff, as well as public patrons that have an NSU library card are eligible to request materials that are not available at NSU. The Alvin Sherman Library uses Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to borrow materials from other libraries whenever possible. Because of the time required for processing and delivery from the lending library, it can take as little as three days to as much as two weeks or longer to obtain some materials, depending on the availability or type of material requested. Due to these factors, you should begin your research as soon as possible to allow for any unexpected delays. NSU Libraries abide by the 1976 U.S. Copyright Law, which governs the borrowing and use of photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted materials.

Requesting Materials

Important Notes:

  • The ILL Department will not accept incomplete citations. Requests received with incomplete citations will be cancelled. Please stop by the Reference Desk or call if you have questions about what constitutes a complete citation: 954-262-4613 or 1-800-541-6682, ext. 24613.
  • Please confirm that you do not have any overdue materials or outstanding fines with the Circulation and/or Interlibrary Loan Department prior to submitting requests. Requests for materials will not be processed until all overdue materials have been returned and/or library fines have been paid.
  • Please be certain that the item(s) you are requesting are not available within the NSU Libraries’ collections. You can check to see if an item is available at NSU by searching NovaCat. For journal articles, you may also wish to check our full text databases before making a request. To find out if a particular item is available in full text, start at the library homepage and click on the tab titled “Full Text Finder” and/or search in NovaCat.
  • Phone requests for materials will not be accepted. Please use an appropriate ILLiad form.

Processing Requests

Turnaround time between processing requests and receipt of materials is dependent upon several factors, most of which are outside the control of the NSU Libraries. Because materials need to be shipped from the lending library, please allow at least 5-15 working days for your materials to arrive at NSU. Most materials will arrive within this time frame, although some may take longer.

Request Status

Users can track the status of their outstanding orders by logging into ILLiad and clicking on the “Outstanding Requests” link under the View menu. Users can also send an email to ill@nova.edu or contact us at 954-262-4619 requesting additional information on a particular request. Please be sure to provide the ILLiad transaction number in the email.

Pick-up

You will be notified when your requested materials have arrived at the library. Materials will be held for pick up at the Circulation Desk in the Alvin Sherman Library or the Oceanographic Center. All users must come to the library Circulation Desk to check out their ILL items.

Electronic Delivery

The ILL Department provides electronic delivery of articles to its local patrons. Through ILLiad, we are able to post articles to a website while simultaneously sending an email notification to the patron. Users can select this mode of delivery in their ILLiad user account. Your ILLiad account is automatically set to send your requested articles electronically. We will only post materials we receive from other libraries, whenever possible.

Returning & Renewing Materials

Photocopies of articles are yours to keep, but books and other materials must be returned to the same library where they were picked up. Books requested through the ILL Department have a paper band around the cover indicating the due date. Please return books – with the paper band intact – by the due date to avoid fines. Books returned to the lending libraries late seriously jeopardize our ability to request materials from that library in the future. If you would like to renew a book, you must renew via ILLiad up to 3 days prior to the due date. Please refer to complete renewal instructions on paper band.

 

Document Delivery (DD)

NSU students, faculty, and staff that are enrolled in or affiliated with distance programs may request library materials to be delivered to their home, office, or desktop. The DD Department will attempt to fill all requests from the library collections of the NSU Libraries and other academic institutions. The NSU Libraries abide by the 1976 U.S. Copyright Law, which governs the borrowing and use of photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted materials.

Requesting Materials

Important notes:

  • The Document Delivery Department may not process requests submitted with incomplete citations. Please call the Reference Desk if you have questions about what constitutes a complete citation. 954-262-4613 or 1-800-541-6682, ext. 24613.
  • Please confirm that you do not have any overdue materials or outstanding fines with the Circulation and/or Interlibrary Loan Department prior to submitting requests. Requests for materials will not be processed until all overdue materials have been returned and/or library fines have been paid.
  • Phone requests for materials will not be accepted. Please use an appropriate ILLiad form.

Processing Requests

Once the Document Delivery Department receives a request, the staff will fill the order as quickly as possible. Turnaround time between processing requests and receipt of the material by the patron is dependent upon several factors, most of which are outside the control of the NSU Libraries. Materials held by the NSU Libraries collection will arrive faster, usually within 5 business days. Materials obtained from other sources which need to be shipped from a lending library will take at least 5-15 business days to arrive. Most materials will arrive within this time frame, though some can take longer.

Request Status

Users can track the status of their outstanding orders by logging into ILLiad and clicking on the “Outstanding Requests” link under the View menu. Users can also send an email to library@nova.edu or contact us at 954-262-4602 requesting additional information on a particular request. Please be sure to provide the ILLiad transaction number in the email.

Delivery Options

  • Shipped Delivery: Requested items are shipped to the address listed in your ILLiad account. Therefore, please ensure your mailing address is up-to-date. Your material may not all arrive to you on the same day. We will ship the items to you as they are ready.
  • Electronic Delivery: The DD Department provides electronic delivery of articles. Through ILLiad, we are able to post articles to a website while simultaneously sending an email notification to the patron. Your ILLiad account is automatically set to send your requested articles electronically. If you would like to opt out of electronic delivery services, please contact our office at (954) 262-4602 and we will mail the articles to you via U.S. mail.
  • Other Options: Some of the databases found online in NSU’s Electronic Resources include the full text of newspaper and journal articles. A growing number of these databases can also provide full images of articles (pictures and graphs, along with text). See the complete list of databases. To determine whether a particular item is available full text online, start at the library homepage and click on the tab titled “Full Text Finder” and/or search in NovaCat.

Returning & Renewing Materials

Photocopies of articles are yours to keep, but books and other material must be returned to the Library by the due date. Books from the NSU Libraries will be sent with a label on the cover indicating the due date. Generally, these books can be renewed online through your account in NovaCat. You cannot renew a book after its due date.

If you would like to renew a book that we borrowed from another library, you must renew via ILLiad up to three days prior to the due date. Please follow the renewal instructions provided on the cover of the book.

Return all books to Document Delivery:

NSU – Alvin Sherman Library
Document Delivery
3100 Ray Ferrero, Jr. Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314

If material is returned late, you will receive an email with overdue charges and instructions on how to pay your fines. DO NOT send payments with the book as fees vary and the total due cannot be calculated until the material is received and checked in. Books that we have borrowed from other institutions that are returned late seriously jeopardize NSU’s ability to request materials from other libraries in the future.

Students are responsible for the cost of returning books. For other options on how to return your borrowed material, please contact us at 954-262-4602 or library@nova.edu.