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Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan Service for physical books is not possible at this time.

Articles from journals and chapters from books are available to be requested.

Please see below for further details.

Please see our Finding Research Resources page to explore other options for obtaining materials, and email library@naropa.edu with any questions.

If we don't have a book, journal article, or other material that you need, the Allen Ginsberg Library can request it from another library. This service is called Interlibrary Loan (ILL), and is available to Naropa University students, faculty, and staff. With the exception of certain rare items, this is a free service.

Please keep in mind that it can take two weeks or more to get material though ILL, depending on the availability of the material requested. However, many books will arrive within a week, and articles may arrive much faster.

Theses, dissertations, unpublished manuscripts, and other rare items may be difficult or impossible to obtain, or may have a borrowing charge.

General ILL Policies

  • All patrons are billed $0.50 per day for any overdue ILL item.
  • Interlibrary Loan services are available to all current students, faculty, and staff. Alumni and other borrowers can make requests through their local public library.
  • Only books NOT owned by the Allen Ginsberg Library are eligible for ILL, even if that item is checked out. (You may want to place a hold on it though the library catalog). *Physical book lending is not available at this time.
  • In general, it is library policy to neither collect nor keep textbooks. This extends through interlibrary, so one cannot use this service to request a copy of a textbook.
  • Only 10 books may be requested/checked out to a patron at one time. Please do not request more than 10 in a single checkout period. *Physical book lending is not available at this time.
  • The loan period for books is set by the lending library, and is normally somewhere between 3-5 weeks. *Physical book lending is not available at this time.
  • To request renewal email  one week before the item is due. Renewal requests cannot be placed once an item is overdue. Oftentimes, ILL items cannot be renewed. 
  • In most cases, ILL is provided as a free service. However, there may be a charge for rare items with limited availability. In such cases, you will be contacted and asked if you are willing to pay the fee. When filling out a request form, please indicate how much you are willing to pay in the "Max Cost" field. Note that we still make every effort to borrow from libraries that do not charge.
  • You will be charged a replacement fee for lost books, amount stipulated by the lending library. Note: Replacement fees can be as high as $200.00!

How to Request an Article

Entire volumes of periodical publications like journals, magazines, and newspapers normally cannot be borrowed through ILL. However, we can request individual articles to be scanned and sent to us through ILL.

  • Requesting Articles Though a Database:
    Some electronic databases (such those listed on the library Research Databases page) allow you to email citations directly from the database. If you have found an article within a database, send the citation to . Make sure you put "ILL request" in the subject line, and be sure to include your name, Naropa email, and phone number in the comments section.
  • Requesting Articles by Email:
    Send a full citation (any style) to from your Naropa email (needs to be your official naropa.edu account) with "ILL Request" in the subject line. Please send a maximum of 10 ILL requests in one email. Create a second email if you would like to request more than 10.
  • A full article citation includes author of article, year article was published, article title, journal title, volume, issue, pages, and doi if available.

      Examples of a full citation for requesting articles:

       MLA

       Reed, Ishmael. “American Poetry: A Buddhist Take-over?” Black American Literature Forum, vol. 12, no. 1, 1978, pp. 3–11. doi:10.2307/3041490

       APA

       Reed, I. (1978). American Poetry: A Buddhist Take-over? Black American Literature Forum, 12(1), 3-11. doi:10.2307/3041490

       Chicago

       Reed, Ishmael. "American Poetry: A Buddhist Take-over?" Black American Literature Forum 12, no. 1 (1978): 3-11. doi:10.2307/3041490

How to Request a Book

Interlibrary Loan Service for physical book requests is not possible at this time.
Individual chapters from books may be requested.
  • Requesting a Book Chapter by Email: 
    Send a full citation (any style) to  from your Naropa email (needs to be your official naropa.edu account) with "ILL Request" in the subject line. Please send a maximum of 10 ILL requests in one email. Create a second email if you would like to request more than 10.
  • A book chapter citation includes author of chapter, year book was published, title of chapter, editor of book if applicable, title of book, chapter pages, and publisher.


    Examples of a full citation for requesting book chapters:  

     MLA

     Harvey, Andrew. "Chapter 1: Ten Things You Can Do Right Now." The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism, Hay House, 2009, 3-8.

     APA

     Harvey, A. (2009). Chapter 1: Ten Things You Can Do Right Now. The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism (1st ed., pp. 3-8). Hay House.

     Chicago

     Harvey, Andrew. "Chapter 1: Ten Things You Can Do Right Now." In The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism, 3-8. United States: Hay House, 2009.

Finding books:
  • Go to WorldCat database.
  • Search for your book (tip: try using a combination of title and author).
  • Once you have located the record for the item you wish to borrow, click on “Borrow this item from another library.”
  • Fill in the required fields and submit the form. *Physical book lending is not available at this time.

Note: The "Max Cost" field refers to the maximum you would be willing to pay for this item. Most books will be free so you can just enter 0.00. However, if you know the item is rare and you are willing to pay $25.00 you could enter that amount here, but we will still try to get it for free first.

  • If you have difficulty finding an item in WorldCat, please send a full citation to from your Naropa email (needs to be your official naropa.edu account) with "ILL Request" in the subject line. We will try to find it for you. 

Please see our Finding Research Resources page to explore other options for obtaining materials, and email library@naropa.edu with any questions.