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Interlibrary Loan

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Theses, dissertations, unpublished manuscripts, and other rare items may be difficult or impossible to obtain, or may have a borrowing charge.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).
  • In general, it is lbrary 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.
  • The loan period for books is set by the lending library, and is normally somewhere between 3-5 weeks.
  • Often ILL items cannot be renewed. To request renewal email library@naropa.edu one week before the item is due. Renewal requests cannot be placed once an item is overdue.
  • 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. You may also request a single chapter of a book to be scanned, which may be faster than borrowing the entire volume.

  • 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 to from your student email (needs to be your official students.naropa.edu email) with "ILL Request" in the subject line.

How to Request a Book

  • 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.

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 student email (needs to be your official students.naropa.edu email) with "ILL Request" in the subject line. We will try to find it for you.

How to Request a Thesis or Dissertation

Please Note: Theses, dissertations, and other unpublished or rare documents may be difficult or impossible to obtain through Interlibrary Loan.

  • Send a full citation to  from your student email (needs to be your official students.naropa.edu email) with "ILL Request" in the subject line.
  • Most libraries will charge a borrowing fee for theses and dissertations. Please indicate the maximum cost you are willing to pay in the request email. (If you aren't willing to pay anything please indicate that in the email).

How to Request Audio/Video Materials

Please Note: Many libraries are unwilling to lend sound recordings, videos, and other AV materials though interlibrary loan. For this reason AV requests may be difficult or impossible to fill.

  • Go to WorldCat database.
  • Search for your AV material (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.

Note: The "Max Cost" field refers to the maximum you would be willing to pay for this item. You can just enter "0.00," however, given the limited availability of AV items you may want to enter a dollar amount which you would be willing to pay 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 library@naropa.edu from your student email (needs to be your official students.naropa.edu email) with "ILL Request" in the subject line. We will try to find it for you. .