Request Books or Articles from Other Libraries

Requesting Books Online - Hewes Library Catalog and the I-Share Catalog

As a member of the Hewes Library community, you have access to information, not only at Hewes, but also at other libraries that Hewes has a lending agreement with. Hewes Library is part of the Consortia of Academic and Research Libraries of Illinois (CARLI) and allows MC patrons to check out materials via a shared catalog.

1.) Check to see if Hewes Library owns an item before you request it, please check the Hewes Library Catalog first. If your item is not available at Hewes Library, you can repeat your search in the I-Share catalog.

2.) If the item you are looking for it not available at Hewes Library, please check the I-Share Universal Catalog. This provide you access to the catalogs at the other CARLI member libraries.

• Perform a search in the I-Share Catalog to find the item you are looking for.
• Locate the individual item and open the record to view information about the item.
• To request this item, select the Request button at the top of the record.
• Login by identifying your school, barcode number, and last name.
• Select "First Available Copy" and press Enter.
• On the I-Share Item Request page, re-supply your ID number and press Submit Request.
• Your request has been submitted at this point.
• To make sure that the transaction was completed, you can check My Account to view that the requesting is pending.
• You will be notified when the item arrives at your home library.

Requesting from WorldCat, after checking the I-Share Catalog!

3). BEFORE you request materials through WorldCat, PLEASE make you that the item is not available from the Hewes Library Catalog or the I-Share Catalog. The instructions below will allow you to request books from other libraries through a database called WorldCat. If you are requesting books for a specific project, please keep in mind that it takes 10-14 days for materials to arrive. Plan ahead and begin your research early. Follow the steps highlighted below to request books:

• Start at the Hewes Library Homepage
• Then select: WorldCat from the Quicklinks section of the library's homepage or from the alphabetical list on the Database page.
• Once you have access to WorldCat, you can search for materials just like any other database.
• When you have found a record for an item that supports your research, go ahead and make sure that you are in the individual item record, which will display information about that item only, and will not contain your search results list.
• To request the item, simply click on the black ILL button near the top third of the screen on the left-hand side. The button looks like two miniature buildings with arrows pointing at one another.
• Selecting the ILL button will open a new screen. Fill out the form provided and click submit on the bottom. Please make sure that you have entered a date needed, in the correct format!
• If the item is available from another institution, the library staff will contact you when your item arrives. Please keep in mind, if an item is rare or valuable, a lending library may choose not to let the item leave their library.

Requesting Articles Online

In addition to books, journal, magazine, and newspaper articles may be borrowed from other libraries as well. The protocol for requesting periodical articles from other library is a bit different than books. The following steps will help you to find the article you are looking for:

• Every article database is different. However, if full text of the article that you are searching for is available, a link to the PDF or HTML version of the article will be provided.
• If full text is not available, you will be presented with the Article Linker option. Select the link that has the gray Article Linker box, and it will open a new window. Article Linker is a service that take the citation that you are looking for in your current database, and checks the rest of the databases that Hewes Library has access to for the full text. If full text is available, Article Linker will provide you with a direct link to the article or to the database in which the article appears.
• If the Article Linker returns a "Sorry, no holdings are available for this item" screen, it is time to request the article from another library. The original article record, will supply you with a "Request this item from another library" link that will allow you to inter-library loan the article. Simply fill out the request and select submit. Your request will be processed and the article should arrive at Hewes Library within 10-14 days.

Requesting Books and Article in person

Due to technological constraints, library staff members can no longer submit requests on behalf of a patron. Each patron MUST initiate a universal borrowing or ILL request. If you need assistance, please stop by the library to talk to a staff member or access the tutorial information on this page. Again, please allow 10-14 days for your requests to arrive.