Those eligible for interlibrary loan at UWM are:

• UWM faculty and emeritus faculty
• UWM staff members
• UWM graduate students currently enrolled, employed at UWM, or working as researchers for UWM faculty members
• UWM undergraduate students, currently enrolled
• Friends of the Library (Sustaining members and above)

Materials requested must be needed for research related to the patron's area of study. The Interlibrary Loan Office obtains books, dissertations, theses, newspapers, government documents, and other materials in paper copy or microformat. Photocopies of requested periodical articles are generally obtained since journals are non-circulating items in most libraries.

The ILL Office will not request materials that the library owns, including materials in microformat or on Reserve. The ILL Office will not request textbooks that are required for your class. Rare materials and reference items are usually not available through interlibrary lending operations. Inquire at the ILL Office for any other pertinent information or restrictions.

Material borrowed through the Interlibrary Loan Office cannot be placed on reserve by faculty members.

Planning ahead is the way to ensure that your material will arrive on time. Usually, ten to fourteen business days must be allowed for receiving material requested. The Office will obtain the requested material as rapidly as possible, but cannot guarantee any specific time frame.

Material requested from in-state libraries generally arrives within ten days. Requests that must be sent to out-of-state libraries may take three or more weeks to fill.

Patrons who have a closer deadline or a very large number of requests are encouraged to check the holdings of local libraries. Information and listings of materials of Milwaukee area libraries are available in the Interlibrary Loan Office and at the RIS Ask a Librarian Desk. Ask a Reference Librarian about an InfoPass, by which a member of the UWM community can borrow materials in person from over 120 local libraries.

Materials should be picked up promptly and returned to the Interlibrary Loan Office. If the Office is closed, materials may be picked up and returned at the RIS Ask a Librarian Desk. Materials should not be returned to any other service area.

Special permit holders are eligible to use most library materials owned by the Golda Meir Library. They are referred to their home library for interlibrary loans.

If material is needed beyond the due date given by the lending library, contact the Interlibrary Loan Office concerning renewals before the due date. Renewals are not automatic and must be requested of the lending library. Any fines or damaged/lost book charges are at the discretion of the lending library; payment is the responsibility of the patron.

When you require rapid delivery of an article from a periodical not held by the Golda Meir Library, please fill out the appropriate interlibrary loan (ILL) request form and consult with an ILL staff member. Articles can often be obtained within 24-48 hours, but the costs of this expedited service are considerably more than those for routine delivery rates of 5 to 12 working days. Therefore, there will be a charge of $5.00 per article for this rapid delivery service, to partially defray the additional expenses. Payment of the service fee will be due upon receipt of the article from the ILL office or it can be debited to a departmental requisition for ILL established in advance of the request. In addition, payment will be accepted in two forms: (1) personal check for the exact amount due, or (2) UWM Cashier's Office receipt for advance payment. Cash payments cannot be accepted.