ILL & Prospector

Request an Item

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and Prospector provide the DU community access to materials not held by the DU Libraries.

Important Login Changes to ILL starting 11/30/22:

IT@DU is in the process of updating our single sign-on (SSO) software. Instead of using your DU ID 87# to sign in, you will use your login name firstname.lastname@du.edu and you will use your DU password. You will be required to use multi factor authentication (DUO MFA) as you do with access to other DU applications  

The URL to access ILL is also changing. You will need to update any bookmarks to: https://du.illiad.oclc.org/illiad/DVP/ 

Interlibrary Loan Contact Information

Staff are available at the Lending Desk to answer questions about ILL or Prospector. You can also contact ILL staff at 303-871-2497 or ill_dept@du.edu.

Logon to ILL
 

  • What are Interlibrary Loan and Prospector?

    Interlibrary Loan is an international service in which library materials are made available from one library to another and ultimately to the designated library user to meet their information needs. Interlibrary Loans are meant only for personal study, scholarship, or research needs and may not be further distributed.

    Prospector is a union catalog of nearly 200 academic, public and special libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. Prospector gives library patrons and staff access to more than 30 million books, journals, DVDs, CDs, videos and other materials held in the Prospector member libraries. When you request items in Prospector, they will be delivered to the lending desk of your choosing at DU, and checked out to your DU Library Account. Items requested via Prospector will usually arrive sooner than items requested via ILL.

  • Who can use Interlibrary Loan?

    Current students, staff, and faculty of the University of Denver, and DU alumni with an Alumni Card are eligible to use Interlibrary Loan. Alumni can obtain an Alumni Card at the DU Alumni Office.

    Law students must use the DU Law Library Interlibrary Loan office. Iliff students must use the Ira J. Taylor Library.

  • When should I use Interlibrary Loan or Prospector?

    For assistance identifying appropriate resources for research, contact the Research Center. If you know what items you need, follow these steps:

    1. Check Compass or contact the Research Center to be sure we do not have the item(s) you need.
    2. Then, search Prospector for faster delivery of books. Detailed request and delivery instructions for Prospector can be found here.
    3. If not available in Prospector or Compass, submit an Interlibrary Loan Request.
    4. Interlibrary Loan requests can be made directly from some library databases using ArticleLinker.
  • What is the difference between "Request It" and Interlibrary Loan?

    "Request It" is used for materials owned by the DU Libraries. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is used to request materials not available in our collection.

    The status or listing of your ILL materials will not show on your main Library account. You must login to your ILL account to view ILL materials.

  • Article Scanning

    Articles from journals held in DU Libraries Offsite Storage can be requested for scanning. The material will be pulled and scanned by Document Delivery staff within approximately 24 hours, Monday through Friday. You will receive an email when your article is ready. The scanned article will be available for download as a PDF on your Interlibrary Loan account for 30 days.

    Request Article Scanning

  • Delivery of Material

    Articles requested via ILL will be delivered to your ILL account as downloadable PDFs, typically within 5–7 working days. Books and other physical material arrives within 7–10 working days. Occasionally items may not be obtainable due to scarcity, lending policies of owning institutions, etc.

    Your materials will be held at the Lending Desk and you will be notified by email. You will need your DU ID to pick up physical material.

    If material is designated "In-Library Use Only," it can only be used inside Main Library.

  • Returns

    Return ILL and Prospector items to the book drops or to the Lending Desk.

  • Renewals

    You can request a renewal on ILL items at least two days before the item is due. To request a renewal, logon to your ILL account and select "Checked Out Items" to renew. The decision to accept your renewal request is based on the lending libraries' policies. Renewals cannot always be granted.

  • Fines

    Overdue materials may result in a loss of an individual's Interlibrary Loan privileges. Charges for book replacements are determined by the lending institution and can exceed $100.00.

    The DU Libraries strive to keep good working relationships with libraries that loan to us. Our borrowing privileges can be revoked by lending libraries if patrons do not return materials on time.

    Lending Policies for Libraries and Institutions

  • Mailing Material

    Students enrolled in distance learning courses should review the Library Mailing Policy to determine eligibility.