Langsdale Link
Contents:
You Say Intercampus: I say Interlibrary
"I’m here to pick up an InterLibrary Loan book."
"I ordered some items through the system, and I got a notice that they’re here.”
Sound familiar? Have you found yourself uttering those words to a library staff member after not being able to find a record of your request online, even though you have a confirmation that your order has arrived?
We hear you, and we understand the problem. We have two different systems that allow students to gain access to materials that are not part of Langsdale's own collections, and the two are often confused (sometimes even by us).
To have materials sent to Langsdale, students can either make an intercampus loan request through the USMAI catalog, or place an interlibrary loan request through the Interlibrary Loan Express system.
Intercampus Loans
If Langsdale does not own a book that you are interested in, the first thing you should do is confirm that it exists in a University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institution (USMAI) library. As part of the USMAI system, we can have books efficiently shipped to Langsdale through other libraries in the network. You can search the entire USMAI catalog at once and place a request for any book you want- right from the catalog.
When you find a title that you want, click on it to see a full record. If you click the “availability” link you can see if the item is still on the library’s shelf or checked out. To request a book (even if it is checked out), click on the yellow request button and sign in with your library account and last name.* After you sign in, instructions on the screen will guide you through the process. Typically, books take three days to a week or more to arrive.
You can check the status of your request by signing into your account, but you will also be notified when the item arrives at Langsdale.
InterLibrary Loan (ILL) Express
Even though ILL Express uses the same account number as the USMAI catalog, the two systems are not connected.
ILL Express books coming from out of state can take two to three weeks to arrive. If you request a book through ILL Express that is available through the USMAI catalog, you may receive an e-mail asking you to resubmit your request through the catalog. This helps you get your book more quickly and helps us keep our costs down.
The express part of ILL Express comes into play when you use the service to request an article not available at Langsdale or through any of our online databases. Through the service, many other libraries can scan the article and send it to us in a day or two. We also post a PDF version of the article to your ILL Express account where you can download it from any computer.
The next time you use our system to request a book for your research, remember to check the USMAI Catalog first. If you cannot find it in the catalog, you can use the ILL Express system to request the book from another library. Books ordered through both systems are available for pickup at the circulation desk on the first floor.
Requests submitted to either system in a timely manner can help students gather materials from a wide variety of sources and organize their research.
* If you need your account updated as a current student or staff member, contact the Circulation Department at langcirc@ubalt.edu or 410.837.4260.