Resource Sharing Policies

ILLiad

• Requests from UTK affiliates can be placed using the ILLiad login on the Request Items page.
• Requests from other libraries 

PURPOSE

• Resource Sharing (commonly known as Interlibrary Loan) locates and provides access to material not available at the University Libraries.
• Resource Sharing policy conforms to national, regional, and state interlibrary loan codes, and to the policies of individual lending libraries.

ELIGIBILITY

• Resource Sharing services support the research, teaching and service efforts of members of the UT Knoxville community. Active employees and enrolled students are eligible.

BASIC POLICIES

• Lending and borrowing are conducted between libraries, not between libraries and individuals.
• Users may usually borrow Resource Sharing materials for at least two weeks and must return them by the due date assigned by Resource Sharing staff. Renewal requests may be possible, but must be made in advance of the due date assigned by Resource Sharing staff.
• Materials generally not available through Resource Sharing include: manuscripts and archival materials, rare books and maps, and psychological or educational tests. Other materials that are often difficult for Resource Sharing to obtain include: newspapers (unless a microfilm copy is available), entire issues or volumes of periodicals, audiovisual materials, and genealogical materials.
• No Textbooks. Resource Sharing can not serve as a replacement for purchasing your course textbooks. Rather, use Resource Sharing for short term loans (average 4 weeks) or article/chapter copies. If you find acquiring any course text difficult, inform your instructor and request placement of course materials into our Reserve Collection.
• No Repeat Loans. Resource Sharing provides short-term loans (2-4 weeks average). Do not reorder the same item multiple times. If you need a book longer than a typical interlibrary loan and one renewal provides, consider recommending the item for library purchase.
• The lending library may impose restrictions on use, such as LIBRARY USE ONLY, NO PHOTOCOPYING, NON-RENEWABLE, or USER’S SIGNATURE REQUIRED. In some cases, they may also elect to give us a shorter loan period. We ask your cooperation to abide by these restrictions so we may continue to use these libraries’ collections on behalf of the UT community.
• The requester is financially responsible for any damage or loss of borrowed materials from the time they are picked up or delivered to the user to the time they are received by Resource Sharing staff.
• Failure to abide by Resource Sharing rules may result in the suspension of Resource Sharing and/or library privileges.

REQUESTS

• There are no per week or per month limits on the number of requests you may submit. Note that during peak times, you may be asked to prioritize requests or may have some requests temporarily routed to a holding queue as Resource Sharing staff manage the traffic. Staff will notify you if such services are required.
• Users are responsible for providing a complete bibliographic citation for each item, including author, title, date of publication, pages needed, ISXN, etc. The source of the citation (URL/DOI, database searched and accession number, book reference and page, etc.) can also be very helpful.  Accurate and complete information helps Resource Sharing staff process your requests quickly and reliably.

TURNAROUND TIME

• Resource Sharing users should identify sources needed well ahead of the due date of a paper or project.
• Photocopies are primarily sent to us electronically and typically take 1-3 business days. Books are mailed or sent via courier. Depending on which supplier fills the order, an average of 1 to 3 weeks is normally required to make an item available to the requester. Turnaround time for both books and copies can be much longer for rare items or problematic requests.
• Resource Sharing requests are processed in the order received. If average turnaround does not meet your needs for a specific request, give your “deadline” and tell Resource Sharing whether you can still use the item after the deadline. This priority service is available to faculty, graduate students, and staff.

DELIVERY, PICK-UP AND RETURN OF MATERIALS

• The Circulation Desk, 2nd Floor, Hodges Library serves as the central pick-up and return point for materials ordered via Resource Sharing. Employees may request delivery to their departmental mail rooms. Resource Sharing will notify these users when materials are sent.
• Materials borrowed through Resource Sharing should be returned to a library circulation desk (Hodges, Pendergrass, or Devine). Loans remain charged out to the patron until Resource Sharing has checked them back in. Returns are processed once daily. Items returned after 10am will be processed the following business day.

Eligibility

The University Libraries provide document delivery services to remote UTK students, faculty and staff as well as UT agricultural extension and research agents. To qualify for distance education services, you must live 40 or more miles from Knoxville*. Students must be currently enrolled to access online resources and to use library services. Students enrolled only in independent study classes are not eligible for library services.

*Distance Education library delivery services are also available to any enrolled student living off-campus within 40 miles of Knoxville AND who identifies as medically fragile or disabled. If you would like to request this delivery service, please contact us at sharing@utk.edu. We do not need to know the nature of your need for this service, nor do we require documentation.

Registering for Delivery Service

To arrange for home delivery of books and other materials, you must be registered as distance education faculty/student/staff in the ILLiad system. To register as a distance education user, follow these steps:

• Important: If you were previously registered as a non-distance education user and will be at a remote location for an extended period of time (excluding breaks), please contact Resource Sharing at sharing@utk.edu to request a status change.

For all others:

• Go to the Resource Sharing web site.
• Enter your NetID and password to enter the ILLiad system.
• Provide your personal information.
• Choose the status that includes Distance Education in parentheses. If you do not qualify for this service, we will let you know.
• Choose Distance Ed Delivery for Loan Delivery method.
• Do not use a PO box for your address as items are delivered via FedEX.

How to Request Delivery of Materials

To request physical library materials, you must use ILLiad. You cannot use the “Request Physical Item” function in the catalog if you wish to have the material delivered to your home. Please use the “Request PDF Scan” to request chapters or articles from library held materials.

• Go to ILLiad and enter your netID and password.
• Choose the type of request you want to make from the New Requests dropdown.
• Fill in as much information as you have about the item, and note any unusual circumstances in the notes field.

Delivery of Books and Articles

Whenever possible, journal articles will be delivered electronically through the ILLiad system. Books and other materials will be sent via FedEx. We will include a FedEx prepaid label to ship the material back to us.  Borrowers are responsible for lost/damaged materials.

Please contact Resource Sharing with questions at sharing@utk.edu.

Contacting a Librarian

Librarians provide academic support for faculty, students, and staff by finding information and recommending strategies for using the libraries’ resources. Assistance is provided via phone, e-mail, and online chat. For in-depth research questions or to schedule an online consultation, contact the subject librarian in your discipline.

Proctoring Services

We are not able to provide proctoring services here at Hodges Library.