​Interlibrary Loan (ILL) for Minnesota State Mankato Students & Staff

Request items from libraries worldwide using our Interlibrary Loan service. This is a service for only current Minnesota State Mankato students, faculty & staff. Emeriti can request Interlibrary Loan privileges.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) FAQs:

Items you may request

You may request books, DVDs, CDs and other media, government publications, conference papers, theses and dissertations through ILL.

The Library will make every effort to fill your request quickly limitations do exist on what the Library is able to borrow on your behalf. Current textbooks are generally not available for interlibrary loan. Libraries seldom lend rare, fragile, or unique items that would be difficult or impossible to replace. E-book licensing very rarely allows for sharing through interlibrary loan.

Single chapters can be scanned and sent via e-mail. If you request more than a chapter of a book, you will most likely receive the print book.

You may request articles from journals and magazines through ILL. Libraries usually scan or copy articles rather than lend whole issues of periodicals.

Emeriti status

Emeriti can utilize Interlibrary Loan services if the following requirements are met.

  1. Must apply and be granted emeriti status.
  2. Have an active MavCard
    • Check expiration date and renew at the the Hub, if needed.
  3. Activate your MavCard with faculty/staff status in the library system.

Turnaround time

Average turn-around-time, from submission to receipt of the item, for articles is 1-3 business days if the article is available from a Minnesota library. For books available in-state, the usual time until you receive it is 1-5 business days. These are average times only and may vary a good deal if shipped from a distant library. Requests can take up to 3 weeks.

ILL will attempt to fill your request until your "not needed after" date has passed, so give us as much time as you have available.

You will be notified if we are unable to acquire an item for you.

Status of your requests

You can check the status of your ILL requests by logging into My Library Account. Occasionally, ILL cannot fill your request because we are unable to identify a lending library or document supplier for the item you requested. You will be notified about any request that cannot be filled. 

Receiving ILL items

All interlibrary loan notices will be sent to your campus email account, so be sure to check your MavMail on a regular basis. Also, you can check the status of your requests by going to the library homepage and logging into My Library Account

Receiving periodical articles: Most interlibrary loan requests for articles are filled electronically and posted to a secure website. You will receive an email notice explaining how to retrieve an article. You have 7 days and 5 viewings to copy or save your article from the website. Occasionally a lending library will send your article in paper format, in that case you will receive a pickup notice. 

Receiving books, videos, and other "returnables": ILL books, DVDs, and other loaned items can be picked up at the Library Circulation desk on the first floor. You will receive an email notice when interlibrary loaned items are available to pick up. 

Delivery for faculty and staff: ILL books and other returnables are held for pickup at the Circulation Desk. If you prefer to have books sent to your campus address, contact the ILL office to have your default delivery changed. Please note that campus delivery usually takes 4 days. Most articles are posted to a website (see "Receiving periodical articles", above). 

Loan periods and renewals

Interlibrary loan is intended for short term use of library resources. Lending libraries determine the loan periods for the items you request. Loans typically vary from one to four weeks. Find your due date on the bookmark included with the item you borrowed or check My Library Account. Renewal decisions for ILL items are made by the lending libraries, not Minnesota State Mankato. 

To request renewals for ILLs, go to the library homepage and log into My Library Account. Go to the Loans section, find the interlibrary loan option, and select renew. If the item is already overdue, you must contact the ILL office to make a renewal request. Check My Library Account daily for the lending library's decision. If the status of the loan does not change within a week, contact ILL staff.

Returning ILL items

Return ILL materials at the Library Circulation desk. ILL paperwork needs to be returned with the item. Missing ILL paperwork will delay checkin of the item.

Your responsibilities + request limits

You are responsible for the care and prompt return of borrowed materials. You will be billed for lost, damaged, or overdue materials.

Do not allow others to use your MavCard to borrow library materials.

Number of active requests is limited to 50 for all patrons. Article requests are no longer active once the PDF has been posted to the secure website. Books and other items must be returned to the lending library before you can make requests beyond the limits. Requests for increased limits may be granted, based on need.

ILL Status Codes

CODE

DEFINITION

Cancelled

Your request has been cancelled and is no longer being worked on

Closed

The request process has been completed. Article has been sent to you or book has been returned

Expired

Your request has passed the need-by date that you indicated

Locally Owned

Staff are checking the availability at Minnesota State Mankato for the item you requested

Locate failed

Your request requires further processing by staff to find lending libraries

Loaned to Library

Your item has been received and is being processed for you to pick up

Loaned to Patron

The item has been checked out to you

New

You have submitted a new request

New – Staff Review

Staff will review notes in your request or will add information for further processing

Overdue

The item you borrowed is overdue, return it immediately

Recalled

The item you borrowed has been recalled by the lending library, return it immediately

Renewal – Accepted

The lending library accepted your renewal request - check new due date

Renewal – Rejected

The lending library rejected your renewal request - return by due date

Returned

You have returned the item to the Minnesota State Mankato library, but it has not yet been checked in by owning library

Sent to Supplier

Your request has been sent to potential lending libraries

Shipped

The item you requested is being delivered to Minnesota State Mankato

Unfilled

Your request has not been filled yet, but we are looking for other potential lending libraries. You will receive a cancellation notice if item is not available.

Waiting for Process

Your request will be processed and sent to potential lending libraries

Waiting for Renewal Reply

Your renewal request is pending approval of the lending library

Will be Supplied

A library has indicated they will send the item you requested to Minnesota State Mankato

Please contact msuill@mnsu.edu or call 389-1473 or 389-2156 for help with these codes or if you have other questions.

Memorial Library absorbs the cost of obtaining materials through interlibrary loan.. This means the ILL service is free to use for students, faculty, and staff.

Overdue materials are billed a default replacement cost. If the lending library sends an invoice for payment, you will owe that amount if item is not returned.

Document delivery mail service for distance students

If you are a student who lives outside the greater Mankato area or a professor not teaching on campus, you can have Minnesota State Mankato books and interlibrary loan books mailed to your home address. Also, you can have articles from Minnesota State Mankato or other libraries’ collections scanned for you. Click on Document Delivery for more information about this service.

Have questions? Contact us!

Contact the ILL Office at (507) 389-1473 or the Reference Desk at (507) 389-5958 for further information.

ILL office hours during the academic year : M-F, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Summer hours M-F, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.