​Interlibrary Loan (ILL) for Minnesota State Mankato Students & Staff

You may request books, DVDs, CDs and other media, government publications, conference papers, theses and dissertations through ILL.

The Library will make every effort to fill your request quickly limitations do exist on what the Library is able to borrow on your behalf. Current textbooks are generally not available for interlibrary loan. Libraries seldom lend rare, fragile, or unique items that would be difficult or impossible to replace. E-book licensing very rarely allows for sharing through interlibrary loan.

Single chapters can be scanned and sent via e-mail. If you request more than a chapter of a book, you will most likely receive the print book.

You may request articles from journals and magazines through ILL. Libraries usually scan or copy articles rather than lend whole issues of periodicals.

Emeriti can utilize Interlibrary Loan services if the following requirements are met.

1. Must apply and be granted emeriti status.
2. Have an active MavCard
• Check expiration date and renew at the the Hub, if needed.
3. Activate your MavCard with faculty/staff status in the library system.
• Contact askref@mnsu.edu

Average turn-around-time, from submission to receipt of the item, for articles is 1-3 business days if the article is available from a Minnesota library. For books available in-state, the usual time until you receive it is 1-5 business days. These are average times only and may vary a good deal if shipped from a distant library. Requests can take up to 3 weeks.

ILL will attempt to fill your request until your "not needed after" date has passed, so give us as much time as you have available.

You will be notified if we are unable to acquire an item for you.

You can check the status of your ILL requests by logging into My Library Account. Occasionally, ILL cannot fill your request because we are unable to identify a lending library or document supplier for the item you requested. You will be notified about any request that cannot be filled. 

All interlibrary loan notices will be sent to your campus email account, so be sure to check your MavMail on a regular basis. Also, you can check the status of your requests by going to the library homepage and logging into My Library Account. 

Receiving periodical articles: Most interlibrary loan requests for articles are filled electronically and posted to a secure website. You will receive an email notice explaining how to retrieve an article. You have 7 days and 5 viewings to copy or save your article from the website. Occasionally a lending library will send your article in paper format, in that case you will receive a pickup notice. 

Receiving books, videos, and other "returnables": ILL books, DVDs, and other loaned items can be picked up at the Library Circulation desk on the first floor. You will receive an email notice when interlibrary loaned items are available to pick up. 

Delivery for faculty and staff: ILL books and other returnables are held for pickup at the Circulation Desk. If you prefer to have books sent to your campus address, contact the ILL office to have your default delivery changed. Please note that campus delivery usually takes 4 days. Most articles are posted to a website (see "Receiving periodical articles", above). 

Interlibrary loan is intended for short term use of library resources. Lending libraries determine the loan periods for the items you request. Loans typically vary from one to four weeks. Find your due date on the bookmark included with the item you borrowed or check My Library Account. Renewal decisions for ILL items are made by the lending libraries, not Minnesota State Mankato. 

To request renewals for ILLs, go to the library homepage and log into My Library Account. Go to the Loans section, find the interlibrary loan option, and select renew. If the item is already overdue, you must contact the ILL office to make a renewal request. Check My Library Account daily for the lending library's decision. If the status of the loan does not change within a week, contact ILL staff.

Return ILL materials at the Library Circulation desk. ILL paperwork needs to be returned with the item. Missing ILL paperwork will delay check in of the item.

You are responsible for the care and prompt return of borrowed materials. You will be billed for lost, damaged, or overdue materials.

Do not allow others to use your MavCard to borrow library materials.

Number of active requests is limited to 50 for all patrons. Article requests are no longer active once the PDF has been posted to the secure website. Books and other items must be returned to the lending library before you can make requests beyond the limits. Requests for increased limits may be granted, based on need.

Please contact msuill@mnsu.edu or call 389-1473 or 389-2156 for help with these codes or if you have other questions.

Memorial Library absorbs the cost of obtaining materials through interlibrary loan.. This means the ILL service is free to use for students, faculty, and staff.

Overdue materials are billed a default replacement cost. If the lending library sends an invoice for payment, you will owe that amount if item is not returned.

If you are a student who lives outside the greater Mankato area or a professor not teaching on campus, you can have Minnesota State Mankato books and interlibrary loan books mailed to your home address. Also, you can have articles from Minnesota State Mankato or other libraries’ collections scanned for you. Click on Document Delivery for more information about this service.

Contact the ILL Office at (507) 389-5472 or the Reference Desk at (507) 389-5958 for further information.

ILL office hours during the academic year : M-F, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Summer hours M-F, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.