Library Resources -- Recommendations and Requests

Inter-Library Loan (ILL) is a service provided by NTU Library to source for and borrow physical books that are not available in the Library.

The Library may borrow the book from local institutions or overseas libraries. The loan period varies according to the lending institution. Generally, the loan period is about 2-3 weeks. Any extension of the due date is subject to the approval of the lending library. Like all other library items, you are responsible for any damage, loss, or overdue fines.

Who can request?
NTU faculty, staff, researchers, postgraduate, FYP and URECA students. NIE and RSIS faculty, researchers, and students should contact their respective libraries.

How do I submit an ILL request?
There are two ways to submit a DocDel request. To start, sign in to your account on the OneSearch page.

Option 1:

1. Select the tab REQUEST FOR DOCDEL/ILL on the top navigation menu of OneSearch.
2. Complete the form and click on SEND REQUEST.
3. To track or cancel your request, go to My Requests in your account.

Option 2:

1. Search for the article/book chapter/publication in OneSearch. If it is not in the Library collection, the results page will show No records found.
2. Select Search beyond Library holdings in the left-hand panel under Refine my results. Your article should appear on the results page with the status of No Online Access.
3. Click on the title to go to the full record display.
4. Click on Document Delivery or Inter-Library Loan in the section How to get it. A pre-filled form will appear.
5. Complete the rest of the form. Review all the information and click on SEND REQUEST.
6. To track or cancel your request, go to My Requests in your account.

Provide sufficient info in the field Reason for request. Below are some guiding questions:

1. Which research project or course/assignment is this for?
2. How will this be used?
3. How important is this to you, and why so?
4. By when do you need this?
5. Have you looked at what the Library already has or considered alternatives?
6. Have you previewed the resource or examined the table-of-contents (e.g. from Google Books) to judge the relevance?

When can I get my document?
Turnaround time largely depends on:

• Whether there is sufficient information for us to review the request
• The number of sources available, the ease-of-borrowing from the sources, and the location of those sources
• The speed of our partners' responses
• The nature of the item, e.g. is it something rare or published in limited quantities? Does it require special processing or reproduction?
• The number of active requests we have at any time

For physical books available at local institutions, or journal articles that are available, it may take up to 10 working days for you to get the item. For items that are rare, hard-to-find or with limited availability worldwide, it may take up to 3-6 months, assuming that they can be obtained at a reasonable cost.

How do I track the status of my request?
Sign in to your account on the OneSearch page and select My Requests. The requests you have submitted will be listed with one the following statuses:

1. Created borrowing request
2. Locate in progress
3. Request sent to partner
4. Physically received by Library (for physical items)
5. Digitally received by Library (for digital items)

An email notification will be sent when the physical item is ready for you to pick up.

When a request is completed, it will be removed from your account. Physical items that need to be returned will only be marked as completed when the Library has received the item from you.

You can have up to 12 active requests at any time. When you have reached this limit, you will not be able to submit any additional request.

We accept partnerships with local libraries of government departments, statutory boards, tertiary institutions, and government-owned companies. If your library would like to set up ILL with us, please email and provide the following:

1. A brief introduction of your institution (e.g. privately or publicly funded, etc.)
2. Library set-up (e.g. name of the Chief Librarian, size of your Library collection and membership)
3. An indication of whether you are prepared to reciprocate similar services to our Library

All requests are subject to copyright considerations and approval of the Library. The following types of materials are also not available:

1. NTU theses and project reports
2. Periodicals and newspapers and microforms
3. Audio-Visual (AV) materials, e.g. DVDs
4. Reference books
5. Items found in the course reserves (RBR)
6. New materials that have been acquired for less than a year
7. Unique materials that would be difficult or impossible to replace, e.g. reports on governmental investigations

Submitting a request
Libraries must email the following details to acquisition@ntu.edu.sg:

1. Name of your institution/library
2. Bibliographic details of the item, e.g. Title, author, year of publication, volume/issue, call number, etc.

Terms of Borrowing

1. The loan period is 28 days for both local and overseas libraries.
2. Up to 10 items may be borrowed at any time.
3. Loans may be renewed up to 6 times.

Charges

1. There is no charge for loans to our reciprocal partners.
2. If delivery is required, delivery charges apply.
3. Based on cost of courier - 1 Full IFLA voucher: SGD$16; Half IFLA voucher: SGD$8.

Payment method
We accept IFLA vouchers or payment by bank draft in Singapore dollars made payable to Nanyang Technological University.