University College Plymouth St Mark & St John

If you need to consult any material not held by the Library we will try to borrow it for you from elsewhere. Most types of printed material can be obtained although some items are only available on microfilm or microfiche.

Inter-library loans (ILLs) are available to all staff and students, allocations vary and are shown below:

Registered External Borrowers may use the ILL service but a charge will be made which is subject to the current cost of an ILL application. Library registered users may also obtain additional loans by purchasing forms at the prevailing rate.

How to apply for an ILL:

Always check the Library catalogue and A-Z listing of electronic journals prior to making a request to ensure that the item is not already in stock.

Try to give all the information that you can, including a source of reference, as this is required by the British Library.

Book applications can be made:

• in person (using the yellow application forms available in the Library)
• on-line using the book request form

Journal article applications can be made:

• in person (as above)
• by post*

When applying for journal articles you must include the following information:

• The journal title
• The journal volume and part
• The year of publication
• The article title
• The author of the article
• The page numbers of the article 

*Applications have to be accompanied by a signed Copyright declaration form. Please use this link for further information.

Please note that requested books will not be sent to you and will need to be collected from the Library.

Journal articles will be delivered by Secure Electronic Delivery unless otherwise requested.

Please note that when collecting ILLs you will need to provide proof of your identity (Library card/photo ID).

How long will it take?

We send off your application within 3 days of receiving it. After that, the time depends on the British Library :

• Electronic journal articles usually arrive within 3 days.
• Hardcopy journal articles usually arrive within a week.
• Books take on average 2 weeks to arrive, but can take longer if it is already on loan to another library.
• Books that are in heavy demand often have a waiting list, so can take longer to arrive.
• The earlier you request items in relation to when they are needed, the better. 

How do you find out when an ILL has arrived? 

• We will send an email to your UCP Marjon email address as soon as your material arrives.
• Please collect non-journal items immediately, as they may be subject to restricted loan periods.
• Journal articles will be delivered by secure electronic delivery (SED) unless otherwise requested. You must download the test document from www.bl.uk/sed before ordering articles. For instructions on how to open and print SEDs on open access college networked computers please click here. Please see the yellow request form and the SED helpguide for more information.
• Some items are lent to us on the condition that they are only consulted within the Library. We will not deviate from this agreement.

How long can I keep an ILL?

• A SED can only be printed once and you have a 14 day window from receiving the email to do this.
• A photocopied article can be kept - it does not need to be returned to us or to the British Library.
• For other materials, unless the item has a loan restriction you are guaranteed the item for 3 weeks.
• The due date will be written on the information slip when you collect the item.
• Usually you will get a 3 week extension in addition to the original 3 weeks.
• Sometimes items can be renewed, and the British Library currently charges £4.00 per item. Please contact us for further details - please note that this price may vary to reflect British Library charges.
• The British Library has an automatic charging procedure for items which are not returned on time, currently fixed at £137.50 + VAT. Even if the item is later returned, the administration part of this charge (£68.75 + VAT) will not be refunded. In all cases these costs will be passed on to the person borrowing the item; they will not be paid by the Library or the University College.

The ILL system depends on good-will as no library is obliged to lend material to us. If items are returned late or damaged, further borrowing may be withdrawn. We will recall all loans at the lending institution's request.

Related Links:

• BLPC  - British Library Public Catalogue
• ZETOC - provides access to the British Library's Electronic Table of Contents of around 20,000 current journals and around 16,000 conference proceedings published per year. The database covers 1993 to date, and is updated on a daily basis.
• COPAC - Copac is a union catalogue, giving free access to the merged online catalogues of members of the Consortium of Research Libraries (CURL). There are over 32 million records on Copac representing the merged holdings of most CURL member institutions. This includes the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, and the National Library of Wales / Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru. There are also collections catalogues from a small number of non-CURL libraries.
• Copyright and British Library Services

Contacting the Library about ILLs:

Email: ills@marjon.ac.uk

Telephone: 01752 636700 ext 2200

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