Getting material from University of Waterloo and other institutions

An outcome of Ontario Council of University Libraries’s (OCUL) Collaborative Futures initiative, Omni is powered by a collaborative system of team members and resources from 18 of Ontario’s university libraries. Omni users experience fast and easy access to a vast collection of diverse, high-quality, academic material, empowering them to confidently develop new insights in their areas of study, and succeed in their research goals.

In person

• You can use your WatCard to borrow materials directly at our partner institution campuses for a loan period that is assigned to your status.

Using the library catalogue

• Learn more about Omni, the library's catalogue (online learning module)
• Requesting a physical item from a Waterloo library (infographic)
• Requesting a digitized chapter, article, or excerpt from a Waterloo library (infographic)
• Requesting journals and multi-volume sets from a Waterloo library (infographic)
• Requesting an accessible version of an item from a Waterloo library (infographic)
• Requesting a physical item from another library (infographic)
• Requesting a digitized item from another library (infographic)
• Requesting materials not found in the catalogue (infographic)

Delivery times

• Books requested from OCUL institutions are delivered to your specified pick-up location within one to three business days.
• Digital copies are delivered via email, as copyright and licensing permit.
• Items requested through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) can arrive within three days and most items available from a Canadian library arrive within two weeks. International requests can take longer to obtain.

According to the Canadian University Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement you can use your WatCard to borrow material from other Canadian universities.

• The Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program allows faculty members of participating institutions borrowing privileges and on-site access to the collections of some of the most important research libraries in North America.
• The program generally applies to the faculty based on the main campus of the participating institution. The home institution determines who is eligible for a Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program card. The lending library determines whether the card will be accepted for on-site use and/or borrowing.
• Check the list of participating U.S. libraries that provide borrowing privileges via the Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program.

Apply for a card

• You may request a Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program card from the University of Waterloo Library.
• The Library will check for the limitations and relevant policies and practices of the prospective lending library upon the faculty's request.
• To borrow materials, the visiting faculty member must present the Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program card and any other identification the lending library requires at the main campus library of any participating institution.

Responsibilities

• Observe the regulations of the lending library.

• Return materials, in person or by mail, within the loan period prescribed by the lending library.

• Return materials immediately, in person or by express mail, if recalled by the lending library.

• Pay any and all fines or other charges incurred due to late return of materials or damage to materials.

Contact Margaret Uhde, Manager, Lending Services for a letter of introduction.