Contact the Resource Sharing Department at resourcesharing@yorku.ca.
THE PURPOSE OF THE RESOURCE SHARING SERVICE
The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) resource sharing service provides York University members with access to academic materials not available in our print or electronic collections. This service supports research and learning by borrowing items from other libraries on your behalf.
WHO MAY USE THE SERVICE
The service is available to faculty, staff, and students who have a current York University Library account.
- External borrowers (Alumni, Direct, Extra-mural, etc.) are not eligible.
- Undergraduate requests for physical materials are generally limited to materials in Canadian libraries.
- We cannot process requests for a user whose library account is blocked.
- Physical ILL items are included in the maximum YorkU patron loan limit of 500 items.
WHAT CAN BE REQUESTED
We endeavour to procure books, microfilm, copies of journal articles, and other material not owned by, or are missing from the York University Libraries collections. Due to other libraries' policies, publisher restrictions or copyright laws, there are some requests that cannot be fulfilled through this service. Contact the Resource Sharing Department for more information (resourcesharing@yorku.ca). Some items that are difficult or not permissible to source include:
- Whole journal volumes or issues
- Multiple articles from one journal issue, or copies of more than one chapter from a book
- Textbooks
- Rare books and original manuscripts
- Audio-visual materials. Email imagelib@yorku.ca or consult the Sound and Moving Image Collections webpage for media interlibrary loan information.
- Patents and standards
- Ebooks
CHARGES
The service is free to users with most costs covered by the library. Please request only materials essential for your studies or research. Some items that incur charges include:
- Copies of manuscripts and other special items. You will be notified in advance of any charges that may apply.
- Materials lost or damaged while in the possession of the user will incur a charge for repair or a replacement fee. This fee is determined by the lending library.
REQUEST PRIORITIZATION
- The Resource Sharing department reserves the right to prioritize requests to ensure equitable service.
- For systematic reviews or high-volume projects, email the Resource Sharing Team – resourcesharing@yorku.ca to discuss timelines and prioritization.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
Items can arrive within three days but other requests will take longer. If you have time restrictions, note this in the Comment section on the request form and/or email the Resource Sharing Team – resourcesharing@yorku.ca.
- Most items available from a Canadian library arrive within two weeks.
- International requests take longer.
- Requests for digital articles or book chapters take approximately two to five working days and will be delivered via Omni. You will receive an email indicating it is available with a link to download. You can also check your Omni account by signing into Omni and selecting My Requests.
PICK-UP AND RETURN OF MATERIALS
- Pickups are available in-person from the service desks at Scott, Bronfman, Steacie, Frost, Markham, and Osgoode Hall Law Libraries, or through the Markham, Glendon, and Scott book lockers.
- Books can be returned to any York University library book return drop slot, service desk, or the Glendon book lockers. If a book band is affixed to the book, please return with the book band still attached.
- Please note: Unlike books borrowed from an Omni Library partner (Ontario Universities - excluding University of Toronto), books obtained by the Resource Sharing Department cannot be picked up from, or returned to, another university library location.
LOAN PERIODS AND RENEWALS
Loan periods and renewals are determined by the lending library. You can check My Account in Omni for due dates. Contact the Resource Sharing department for renewals – resourcesharing@yorku.ca.
USER RESPONSIBILITIES
- Respond promptly to library notices regarding your requests.
- Collect and return requested items on time to avoid charges.
- Respect service limits and use the service for academic purposes only.
If you require assistance, contact the Resource Sharing Department.
Email: resourcesharing@yorku.ca