Iowa State University Interlibrary Loan partners with libraries and organizations across the globe to provide access to our materials. Interlibrary loan (also called ILL) allows you to obtain items that your local library or tribal organization may not have. When a request is placed, we will send your local library or tribal organization the item(s) you have requested, and they will in turn lend them to you. With a collection of nearly 2 million physical items and subscriptions to nearly 250,000 electronic journals, we are well-equipped to fulfill requests for nearly any subject.
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Please note that our ILL department can only fulfill requests made by other libraries or tribal organizations; we cannot lend our items directly to individuals.
Items available to borrow include books, periodicals, theses/dissertations, microforms, and audiovisual materials. We can also provide electronic copies of articles and book chapters.
You may keep most materials for 16 weeks and may renew most items once for an additional 4 weeks. Audiovisual materials, microforms, and items from our Reference collection may be kept for 3 weeks and cannot be renewed. Electronic copies do not have to be returned.
We will not charge your local library or tribal organization to use our ILL services. However, individual libraries/organizations may have their own separate charges for ILL requests. Please check with the library/organization you intend to place requests with.
Libraries and tribal organizations can find more information regarding our ILL services and policies here.
The North American Indigenous peoples vocabulary includes current preferred subject headings, related Library of Congress headings, the names of present-day nations, alternative names, and feedback from members of the communities being described. Explore this vocabulary and other preferred terms at Iowa State University Library Vocabularies.
Metadata Services Librarians:
Former Head of Metadata Services:
Iowa State University Library collects, preserves, and provides access to materials for teaching, learning, and research from a broad range of sources and time periods. Some of these materials may be offensive or contain negative stereotypes. Their presence should be viewed and considered within their historical context. They do not represent the views of Iowa State University or the Library, which strives to create and maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment.
The library's collections and services are available to all ISU students, faculty, and staff and Parks Library is open to the public.
