The World Could Not Contain the Books!
In the final verse of his Gospel, John remarks that even the world itself is a library insufficient to house the tomes that could be written about Jesus. While owning holdings of over 320,000 is a substantial collection in Religious Studies, at times patrons of the United Library may encounter a reference to an item not held in our collection. There is a solution. Through reciprocal agreements between the United Library and many libraries throughout the world, it is often possible to borrow an item that is held at another library. This program is known as Interlibrary Loan.
Borrowing from Other Libraries
Costs: On behalf of the students,
faculty and staff of Seabury-Western and Garrett-Evangelical, the United Library
will gladly request items from other libraries. Please note, though, that
in the case of archival materials, rare b
ooks,
and media items, sometimes a lending library will decline to loan the object.
Nevertheless, most libraries are quite generous in sharing their collections,
particularly with regard to books. While in many cases this service is
free to students, faculty and staff, occasionally a lending library will
ask to be reimbursed for shipping and other costs related to Interlibrary loan
overhead. The United Library staff will absorb these costs for Ph.D
students and faculty. The United Library will inform borrowers in other
degree programs of any costs that
the borrower might incur prior to finalizing the request. Patrons who are
members of the general public, Northwestern students, and guests who are students at other schools
are encouraged to explore the Interlibrary loan services of their home academic
libraries or local public libraries.
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Requesting Interlibrary Loans: Forms are available at the circulation desks at both Seabury and Garrett. Please have the citation information for the item available when filling out the forms.
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How Long Does It Take to Receive an Item? As the Interlibrary Loan service relies on couriers and the US mail, the average turn-around time is 10 days. As a result, please do not wait until a paper deadline to make Interlibrary loan requests.
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How Long Will I Have the Item Once It Arrives? Loan periods vary and are stipulated by the lending library. On average, most books are available for approximately two weeks. Lending libraries also specify whether an item may be taken out of the library overnight, or must be used within the United Library.
Lending from the United Library to Other Libraries
The United Library has reciprocal agreements with the libraries of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools, Illinois Libraries, Libraries at United Methodist and Episcopalian Institutions of Higher Education, and ATLA member institutions. We participate in OCLC. Borrowing Libraries are encouraged to contact our Resource Sharing Department in the event of questions or to refer to the Policy information posted on OCLC.