Obtain Materials Not At Washington University
Several options are available. All but the InfoPass system will require beginning your research well in advance of when the paper is due.
OPTIONS FOR WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HILLTOP FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS include:
MOBIUS - A consortium of Missouri libraries to which the WUStL Libraries belong. If you request a book online from a local MOBIUS library, it will be here two or three days after you request it. If it is in a library outside of St. Louis, it will be here within five working days. To borrow books online from MOBIUS libraries:
- Start your search in the Washington University library catalog. If the title you want is not available at Washington University, transfer your search request to the MOBIUS central catalog by clicking on the green MOBIUS UNION CATALOG box.
- If the book is not available at Washington University, click on REQUEST THIS ITEM. You will be asked to identify your institution (WASH U) and enter your name, ID number, and pickup location where you want the item to be delivered. Submit the request and it will be forwarded to one of the libraries which has an available copy.
- The library you chose as a pickup location will notify you when the item you requested arrives. You can also go to My Catalog in the Washington University local catalog to check on the status of your requests.
If you are at a MOBIUS library, you may use your Washington University I.D. to check out books.
To find out more about MOBIUS, go to the MOBIUS Union Catalog
Information Sheet.
NOTE: Periodical articles are not available through MOBIUS.
Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Service - If you plan ahead, the library can borrow books from other libraries and obtain copies of periodical articles. Sometimes articles may arrive in a few days, but some articles and all books, which come by mail, may not arrive for two or three weeks. Information on the service and how to submit requests is available online. The ILL/DDS Office can only accept requests online. When materials arrive, you will be notified by email.
For articles, most of the online journal databases to which the Libraries subscribe, such as Academic Search Premier, PsycINFO, and Historical Abstracts, have direct links to Illiad, the interlibrary loan management system. There are green buttons labeled "GetIt!" found next to each journal article citation. Note: If the database also provides citations to books or chapters in books, the green button is present only with the citations for journal or magazine articles. You can find information on using the green button at Linking to Full Text: GetIt! In addition to the possibility of finding the full text online, you also will find out how to know if one of the WU Libraries has the journal you need, and how to request a copy from another library if it is not available here.If the article is not available full-text and the journal it is in is not in one of the WU libraries, you have the option of requesting it on interlibrary loan through ILLiad. You will need to create an ILLiad account before you can place a request for any ILL material. Connect to ILLiad to create your account.
There is no charge for interlibrary loan service.
InfoPass - With an InfoPass from the Check-out Desk (Olin Level 1), you may check out books from selected local libraries. (If you wish to check out a book in person at a local MOBIUS library, you may do that with your Washington University I.D. No InfoPass is needed). To find out whether a book you want is in a particular library, consult the WorldCat database. To find out if a periodical is held in another local library, also see WorldCat. Also, many local and regional libraries' catalogs, such as the St. Louis Public Library and the St. Louis County Library, are available on the web. See Additional Library Catalogs for more choices.
Recommend a Book Be Purchased - Do you think a book should be in one of the Libraries? Use the Recommend a Book Purchase form. Note: It usually takes longer to purchase a book than to borrow it, but for very new books, purchasing may be the best option.
For assistance with making interlibrary loan requests, consult with a librarian at the Reference Help Desk (Olin Level 1) or at a school or departmental library.