That book is in the library catalogue, but doesn’t seem to be available…

There are a variety of reasons why something might not be on the shelf.  Check the “Availability” tab at the bottom of the record in the library catalogue.  You may see that the item is out on loan, at a different library, “in process” or in storage.  You can arrange to request the item through the following services.  Look for these buttons at the bottom of library catalogue records:

Hold/Recall Item – You can place a hold on an item if it is currently checked out so that you can be the next person to borrow it. If the book is out on a 100-day loan, it will be recalled for you.

Inter-Campus Borrowing – You can ask that books be brought between Keele Campus libraries (Bronfman, Law, Scott and Steacie) and the Glendon Campus library (Frost) for you to pick up at the library of your choice. (However books may not be request to be transferred between Keele Campus libraries.)

In Process/On Order – Books with an “XX” call number is either in process or still on order. If you want to speed things up you can place a request to rush process or have the item held for you as soon as it is received from the vendor.

Storage Request – You can request that items indicated as “in storage” be retrieved for pick-up at the library of your choice.

If you still can’t find something, ask a reference librarian who can check for you.

And what if York’s Libraries don’t have that book?

Borrow directly from another local library – York undergraduate students can borrow books from the libraries of any of the other Ontario universities (e.g., Ryerson Library) with the exception of the University of Toronto.

Request an inter-library loan – Use the RACER system to request books and articles not currently in the York Libraries from another library. The RACER catalogue will tell you which Ontario university libraries have a given item.

Request that York University Libraries acquire an item for the library – Let us know of any books (or other items) that you think we should order for our library collections. Use the Request for Purchase form. Most will be ordered promptly, subject to a librarian’s approval.