Interlibrary loan frequently asked questions (FAQ)

We cannot process requests over email. If you cannot find a record for the item you want in the Omni catalogue, please use the blank request form to manually fill out the citation details.

You can renew items borrowed from other Omni partners yourself by logging into “My library account” from the library homepage. There will be a tab on the left-hand side for each University, and you will need to click on each tab to renew items borrowed from that University.
For items borrowed from institutions outside of the Omni consortia, please email ill@uwaterloo.ca and we will reach out to the lending library to see if a renewal is possible.

Most items can arrive between three weekdays (from Ontario university libraries) to two weeks (from other Canadian libraries); American & international requests will likely take longer. Copies are usually quicker to arrive because they can be scanned and emailed.

You will not be charged for ILL requests. There are rare instances where costs could be incurred but those requests will be cancelled and you will be informed.

You will be notified by email when the material is available. You pick up your request at the Univ. of Waterloo library circulation desk you specified when submitting your request or have it mailed to you.  ILL items cannot be sent to another university for pickup. If you requested an article or book sections, you will be sent a web link to an electronic copy, with instructions for retrieving it.  Please note that the web link expires after 30 days.

Interlibrary loans must be returned with the bookbands still affixed to a University of Waterloo Library Circulation Desk. Arrangements can be made to have ILL items returned to us via Canada Post; please email ill@uwaterloo.ca for details.

You can access full text electronic version of Canadian theses and dissertations from 1998 onwards through the Theses Canada Portal; as well, ProQuest Digital Dissertations provides abstracts and full text doctoral dissertations and master's theses from numerous North American and international schools.

In some instances, doctoral/masters theses can be obtained through ILL if a circulating copy is available. 

For more information, please visit the Thesis and Dissertations webpage. 

Industry standards are not usually available through ILL but can be obtained in some instances. Many standards are available via Omn. 

For more information, please visit the Standards & Codes subject guide.

Audio visual materials cannot be borrowed through ILL .

For this type of material contact Instructional Technologies and Multimedia Services (ITMS)

Interlibrary Loans does not handle such loans, although there is lending service between Ontario Council of Universities (OCUL) map libraries. For help with these loans, please contact the Geospatial Centre

Overdue loans are assessed at the rate of $1 per day.

Obtaining an e-book is possible only if the lending library is allowed to by their e-book provider.