Interlibrary Loan
Via Interlibrary Loan, you can order books and other media, as well as papers that are not available at the University Library (UB).
Interlibrary Loan means that the UB tries to get a copy of the medium you need from another library.
You can order books, papers from books and journals, and other media via Interlibrary Loan.
For ordering a scan or print-out from a medium, the following is important to notice:
- You may only use it privately and non-commercially.
- You can receive the full paper as scans/print-outs from journals.
- You can only receive 10% as a scan/print-out if it is from monographies.
The following types of media cannot be ordered via Interlibrary Loan:
- Articles from popular magazines, such as Focus, c’t, Time Magazine
- Newspapers
- Media that can be bought for up to 15 Euro at a bookshop
Further information can be found on this page.
In general, the order can be only be placed online. You have got two options:
- Searching the local catalogue:
In case your searching the stack of the university library did not bring the results you have sought, click tab “B3 Union Catalogue: ILL”.
After selecting a hit, click on Get Document and then the SFX button.
Via Holdings in the Bavarian Library Network, you will first reach a log-in screen (if you are not already logged in) and then the order page.
Here you can select when to deliver your chosen medium at the latest, what edition to deliver and other specifications. In doing so, we ask you to fill out the order mask as completely as possible. Perhaps the step by step guide will help.
In some cases, the method described above does not deliver satisfactory results.
You can then try the following:
- Using Gateway Bayern:
Log in first, before entering a search request.
In case you have found your title, press SFX and then Holdings in Bavarian Library Network.
In case your efforts stayed fruitless, you can use the link Interlibrary Loan from the Additional Sercives menu to order a book from another library. Please fill out the order form as thoroughly as possible.
Please mind the following manual which will guide you through the process of ordering a copy from a book via Interlibrary Loan step-by-step:
Please mind the following manual which will guide you through the process of ordering a copy from a journal via Interlibrary Loan step-by-step:
The delivery can depend on the time to single out your book from the stack and its availability. Accordingly, it can be delivered slowly or quicky.
On average, the time for a delivery from within Germany is 10 days.
Your orders will wait for you for 10 days at the service desk of your chosen pick-up location.
Papers for non-commercial use can be picked up for 8 weeks at the service desk of your chosen pick-up location.
Each order will only be handed out after showing your FAUcard/Library Card.
Unclaimed books will be returned, unclaimed copies of articles will be destroyed. Any costs that were generated in the process will be the user‘s to bear.
We will notify you via e-mail when your order is ready to pick up.
At times, we will ask for supplementary information on your order, or simply inform you that we could not provide you with the medium you needed.
In case we do not have your email address, we will put a note to the service desk you have ordered the medium to. In this case, please ask at the service desk regularly if there is a message waiting for you.
An overview over your current Interlibray Loan orders can be found at your library account. Book orders go under Orders, copies from media under ILL: copies/e-books.
According to §60e German Copyright Law, the university library may provide paper copies consisting out of up to 10% of a medium.
Articles from professional or scientific journals may be provided as a whole.
On the other hand, the delivery of individual articles from newspapers or general-interest or newsstand magazines (for example Der Spiegel or Focus) is not permitted.
How long you can keep an interlibrary loan is dependant on the library that provided the book. There is no uniform regulation about this.
In most cases, this period is four weeks, but in some cases it can be much shorter.
If you can or cannot extend your lending period, depends in these cases on the library that sent us your book. If the lending library agreed to such procedure in general, you can extend the lending period via the catalogue.
For all matters regarding the library, literature research, and how to employ the various services available, our staff at the Information Desks (one each at their respective library) will gladly assist you with your problem.
For contact information, please refer to Locations.
If you prefer, you can also contact us via Ask a librarian.
You can check your borrowed media, your orders, and your reservations anytime through your personal account. Please click on Account/Renewal in the catalogue after logging in. Alternatively, the button Library Account on the home page will lead you directly to the login page of your account.
The submenus Loans, Requests, Reservations, Fines, FAUdok and ILL: copies, e-books will tell you about the current state of your account.
Please click on the pictures below to enlarge them.
- Personal Login to the catalogue
- Personal Login to the catalogue via the button on the homepage.
The library sending us a medium can determine how the user may use it (for example “only for usage in the reading rooms”, “copying only by library staff”, “prohibition of copying for conservation reasons”)
The university library has to comply to these conditions and instruct its users accordingly.
Within Germany, ordering books via Interlibrary Loan is free.
A copyright fee of 3.50 Euros will be charged for copies of articles from books or journals.
Ordering media internationally will amount to a higher fee. The teams at the interlibrary loan desks will inform you.
One alternative would be ordering media via subito.
Subito is a nationwide, fee-based document delivery service of academic libraries. Users may order copies from journals or books there quick and simple. You can also loan books via subito.