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Frequently Asked Questions

Who can request interlibrary loans?

University of Newcastle staff, postgraduate and honours students.
Undergraduate students and community borrowers may request material on a user pays basis.

Does my supervisor have to sign my request?

Requests from postgraduate and honours students do not need a supervisor's signature unless this is a condition required by the Faculty or School. Please contact your Faculty Librarian if you have any enquiries.

What can I request?

Please note: not all libraries will lend this material and the loan period may be shorter than a normal loan. Film and video bookings for particular screening dates can be organised.

Under the Copyright Act of Australia 1968, 10% of a book or a maximum of one article may be requested from a single volume or issue.

Certain material is not generally available such as:

Does it cost me anything?

The library pays other libraries or suppliers for items received, with the expenditure deducted from the Scholarly Information Resource Budget.

Occasionally items are expensive to obtain. In this case we will only proceed after receiving further advice from you.

How long does it take to get it?

Your request is processed as quickly as possible and suppliers are chosen for their prompt service and delivery.

The majority of items requested from Australian libraries will arrive between five and ten working days.

What if I want it urgently?

Just let us know when you require it by when you are making the request.
Urgent request do have an additional cost and are only available from Australian libraries.

Where does it get delivered to?

You will be notified via email that your requested item has arrived.
Copies of articles / chapters from books, etc will be delivered electronically to your desktop PC and Loans will be awaiting your collection on the ‘Holdshelf’ at your home library.

How long do I have it?

Copies are for you to keep.
Books are usually available for loan for 3-4 weeks, depending on the suppliers policy.

Your book will come with a yellow cover. It is important that you return the book with the yellow cover as it contains a unique barcode so the item can be removed from your loan record.

Special conditions apply to some items and may only be available for use within the library.

What if I want it for longer?

Contact the Interlibrary Services staff. Some suppliers will not allow an additional loan period.

Where do I return it?

The return chute at the library you collected it from.