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Interlibrary Loan

The library provides current OCOM students, faculty, and staff with the Interlibrary Loan service (ILL) to assist in obtaining journal articles and books not available in the library collection. Patrons can request up to 5 items per day. Articles are generally delivered electronically. There is no charge to OCOM students, faculty and staff for this service, but please limit your requests to items that support your educational and scholarly needs. The Library WILL NOT fill requests for articles that are already available via library databases or print subscriptions.

Article Full Text Finder

Search for an article using the Article Full-Text Finder — you may be able to get immediate access!

Submit a Custom ILL Request

You can also manually fill out a new request. Please make sure you’ve searched the Article Finder or Primo before submitting a request, as you may be able to get immediate access to the full text.

Interlibrary Loan FAQs

How much does it cost?

Most often we receive articles for free, so it is free for you. If we are charged for the article, the library will pay the charge. Students will not be charged unless they have accrued over $50.00 in interlibrary loan fees, per year, that the library has paid. After the library has paid the first $50.00 in fees for the student, the student will be charged for additional articles or books that we pay for.

How long does it take to receive an article?

It depends on the lending library. Most often you will receive the article in 1-3 days, but depending on the lending institution, it can take up to a week or longer.

How do I find books?

Before doing anything, check Primo Library Search! We share a catalog with OHSU, NUNM and UWS — make sure to select “OCOM + PAHL” to request books from these partnering libraries. For help on placing holds on items found in Primo, see our Primo Help Guide.

If you are still not finding what you are looking for, try searching WorldCat Discovery, where you can place requests for books that are owned by libraries all over the country. Google Books is also a great resource, and often includes the option to preview the book so you can peruse the table of contents (and sometimes large chunks of the book) to make sure that the book will actually be helpful to your research.

How long does it take to receive a book from Interlibrary Loan?

It depends on the lending library; it could be as soon as 3 days, but generally takes about a week.

How do I request and receive an Interlibrary Loan book?

If you know the title of the book, you can either search for the title in WorldCat Discovery and place a request, or fill out a new Interlibrary Loan Request Form.

We will email you with a notification once the book has arrived at the OCOM Library, and will set it on the hold shelf for you. The loan date starts immediately after the item is mailed out to us, so you will want to pick up your ILL items as soon as possible to get the most time with them.

The book will have a slip of paper attached to the book or slipped inside the front cover – please keep it with the book, as this helps us track where the item belongs.

When you are done with the book (or when the book is due) just return it to the OCOM Library. We will return it to the lending school.

The due date on my Interlibrary Loan book is approaching, but I need it longer. Can I renew it?

It depends on the policies of lending institution, and whether or not another patron has a hold on the item. If you would like to renew, please email or call the library before the due date so we can verify whether or not the loan period can be extended.

On our syllabus, my instructor has provided a citation and asked us to find and read the full-text. Can I request this from Interlibrary Loan?

No. Any articles that your instructor requires should be freely available in the library through one of our online databases, or should be linked in Populi.  If your instructor has just provided a citation and you are having a hard time finding the article, see the help guide on Finding Full-Text.

How many books can I request?

Students may request an unlimited number of books when requesting from PAHL schools via the Primo Catalog; book requests that use the Interlibrary Loan form are limited to 5 books per term.

The due date on my Interlibrary Loan book is approaching, but I need it longer. Can I renew it?

It depends on the policies of lending institution, and whether or not another patron has a hold on the item.  If you would like to renew, please email or call the library before the due date so we can verify whether or not the loan period can be extended.

What if I lose or damage a book?

You are responsible for all ILL book charges, including late fees and damage / replacement fees from the lending library. If we are informed of charges, we will notify you before adding any charges to your OCOM Library account.

I’m a doctoral student and do not live in the Portland-Metro area. Can I still order books using Interlibrary Loan?

Yes! If you are in the DAOM module program and do not live in the Portland-Metro area, we can either hold the books here at the OCOM Library for you, or mail library materials directly to you.  When you fill out the Interlibrary Loan Request Form, indicate this by selecting DAOM in the OCOM Status field, and enter your mailing address in the comments section.  Please note that Interlibrary loan books have different checkout periods than books from our regular system, and you will be responsible for returning the items on time.

How many articles can I request?

There are no limits on faculty requests.

I would like my students to read an article that is not freely available from one of the OCOM Library databases. Should I just request it via Interlibrary Loan and make copies for my students?

You will need to submit all of your required readings (journal articles included) into Populi at the beginning of the term.  If the use of the article is a last-minute addition (the term has already started) and was not part of the curriculum last time you taught the class, please check out the Copyright for Instructors page to make sure the use of the article falls within the safe harbor of Fair Use.  If it does, then feel free to request the article via Interlibrary Loan and make copies for your students.  If it does not fall under Fair Use (i.e., you use the article every term), let the bookstore know so they can secure the rights to use the article(s) for teaching purposes. Contact the Librarian with any questions.

How much does it cost?

The Library can often find materials for free; for materials that are not available within our regular lending consortium, the Library is generally charged between $15-20 for each title. Faculty are not charged for the Interlibrary Loan service, but please limit your requests to educational purposes.

What if I lose or damage a book?

You are responsible for all ILL book charges, including late fees and damage / replacement fees from the lending library. If we are informed of charges, we will notify you before adding any charges to your OCOM Library account.

I’m an OCOM graduate. Can I still use Interlibrary Loan?

OCOM Alumni Association members may request articles via the Alumni Document Delivery service. Alumni who qualify for this service may request up to six articles per month at no charge; visit the Alumni Services page for more information on this service.

Can I request books?

No. Alumni members can request books owned by OCOM using the Primo Catalog, but PAHL and Interlibrary Loan for physical items is limited to current students and staff only.

I have a practitioner library account. Can I request items via Interlibrary Loan?

No. Interlibrary loan services are reserved for current students and staff only. You are welcome to check out items in our collection, but we cannot procure items from other libraries for you.

If you need a book that OCOM doesn’t carry, we recommend checking in with your local public library to see if they provide interlibrary loan services. If they don’t carry the book, they may be able to get for you at little to no cost.

I’m a community member and do not have a library card. How do I request an item from OCOM’s collection?

If you are not a current OCOM student, staff, faculty member, or alumni and would like to request an item from our collection, check with your local library to use their interlibrary loan service; we do not lend to non-OCOM patrons, but we will lend to other libraries on your behalf.

I work in the Interlibrary Loan department at another library. How do I request an item from OCOM?

Libraries wishing to borrow articles or materials from the OCOM Library can request materials via OCLC’s WorldShare, DOCLINE, or by sending an ALA ILL Form to librarian@ocom.edu. We lend articles to libraries worldwide at no charge; we lend books and media to Oregon libraries and libraries on the Orbis Cascade Courier route at no charge; other Academic and Health Sciences libraries in the US are charged $20 per item.

We will lend without charge to institutions requesting materials on behalf of OCOM Alumni.

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