Interlibrary Loans

Registered staff and research postgraduate students of DCU can apply for an interlibrary loan for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study.

In some cases taught postgraduate students may apply, subject to the rules set by each individual school and approval from their dissertation supervisor. 

Note: This service is currently not available to undergraduate students, Alumni members or external visitors to the library.

• Books (and chapters from books)
• Journal articles
• Theses
• Reports
• Conference Proceedings

Please email interlib@dcu.ie to submit your request.

• Check Library Search to ensure that the item you require is not in stock or available in e-format before requesting.
• Provide accurate and complete bibliographic details for the request, as this will speed the processing of your request.
• Include the name of your School and Supervisor (if applicable) ie., School of Theology, Philosophy & Music / (name of Supervisor)

If you have several requests to submit, you may find it useful to submit the requests over a period of time rather than submit them all at once. Since material is lent to DCU by other libraries for only a limited period of time, staggering receipt of items over a longer time frame may give you more time to work with individual items.

Yes, some schools set limits on the number of items individuals may request. 

Each school has an allocated fund specifically for interlibrary loan requests which is finite and is to serve all eligible requesters for the academic year. Therefore please use this service only for essential materials. 

If a requester is submitting excessive requests, the Subject Librarian for the school will be notified and asked to approve each request. 

The service is free to registered staff and research postgraduate students subject to available funds. Each school has an allocated fund specifically for interlibrary loan requests which is finite and is to serve all eligible requesters for the academic year. Therefore please use this service only for essential materials. 

Please note, once the annual limit of a School has been reached, requests will no longer be accepted. 

The time taken for requests to arrive varies considerably, from a few days to several weeks. It is not possible to guarantee delivery within a specific timeframe.

If the item requested cannot be obtained for any reason, we will inform you of this.

When your request has arrived, you will receive a notification via email to your DCU email account confirming its availability and the site for collection.

You may receive several emails if you request a number of items.

Your staff/student ID card is required when collecting such items.

For requests received electronically, a pdf will be supplied subject to the lending terms of the supplying library. 

If the item requested cannot be obtained for any reason, you will be notified.

Most items received will be available for home reading. 

Some libraries restrict material to use within the library only. If there is such a restriction, you will be notified and the item will be made available for consultation. 

Always be aware that books borrowed under Interlibrary loan are not the property of the Library and are loaned to us by partner institutions subject to conditions. The Interlibrary loan system works on trust and in order to maintain a good relationship with our partners we would ask you to respect the rules.

The loan period for books is set by the lending library - this can vary from two to six weeks. The return date will be written on a slip inserted in the book.

All interlibrary loans are subject to recall at any time. If this occurs, you will receive an email, with a new due date by which the loan should be returned.  Please do not take interlibrary loan materials out of the country, as this makes it difficult to return items on time, especially if items are recalled.

Journal articles and book chapter requests do not need to be returned.

Contact interlib@dcu.ie and reference your request number (i.e. RS-353DCU0000000) to request a renewal. It is the responsibility of the borrower to request a renewal before the loan is due for return.

You will receive an email letting you know whether or not a renewal has been granted or denied, with the new due date if the renewal has been approved.

Renewals are at the discretion of the lending library, and therefore are not always possible

It is the responsibility of the borrower to be aware of the due date for material and to return material on time and on date regardless of any reminders.

Failure to return interlibrary loans on time may result in substantial fines being charged to the Library or, in extreme cases, partner institutions suspending the facility to our Library. 

Return interlibrary loans to the Issue Desk of either library:

• Cregan Library, St.Patrick's Campus
• O’Reilly Library, Glasnevin Campus
• Woodlock Hall Library, All Hallows Campus

If you lose an item you are liable for the replacement cost plus a fine. The lending library determines the replacement cost and fine.

DCU Library can supply material from our collections to both Irish and International libraries, with the exception of the following: reference material, 48-hour short loan, restricted loan material, online journal/database content and special collections.

Irish/UK Libraries

Requests are to be emailed to interlib@dcu.ie with details of the requested item, the request number and a British Library Customer Code for billing purposes. 

Current charges are £10 for book loans and £6.50 for articles/book chapters.

British Library Information:

   Customer Code: 16-0129

   Library Code: ZN/C68

All other international requests

Requests are to be emailed to interlib@dcu.ie with details of the requested item and the request number. We accept IFLA vouchers in exchange for supplying material to libraries outside the UK/Ireland.

Current charges are 3 full IFLA vouchers for book loans and 1 full voucher for articles/book chapters.

Email: interlib@dcu.ie

Phone: +353 (1) 700 5457

Address:

     Interlibrary Loans

     O’Reilly Library

     DCU Glasnevin Campus

     Glasnevin

     Dublin 9

     D09 V209

     Ireland