Overview of Interlibrary Loan

You can borrow materials from other libraries by requesting them thru WMU Libraries Interlibrary Loan service.Western Michigan University has a superb interlibrary loan service. If you identify books and articles WMU Libraries does not own, we will do their find a copy for you to use. This service is usually free of charge to WMU students, faculty and staff.

For more information about this service, go to the Libraries' Borrow and Request webpage and scroll down to the "Borrow from other libraries" section.

Request an Item thru Interlibrary Loan

Online Request Form

You can go directly to the WMU Libraries' Interblirary Loan home page.You can also access it from the Libraries Borrow and Request page, and then scrolling down to the Interlibrary Loan linked image on the page.

Or Begin Request from within a WMU Libraries Article Database

Many of our journal databases allow you to put in an interlibrary loan request directly from the database itself.  Be on the lookout for this button in whatever database you are searching: .  You will click on it to see if WMU owns the journal you are looking for.  If we do not, you will see a link underneath it that says "Get it elsewhere."  Just login in with your BroncoNetID and password and let the system do the rest.

Helpful Details

Before using WMU's interlibrary loan service, you must first register and set up an account.  Click here to begin the process.  You will be asked to login with your BroncoNetID and password.  If you have never used the service before, follow the prompts for First Time Users.   You only have to register once during your tenure at WMU.

Journal articles are generally digitized and sent to your email box within a few short days of request.

Print books take a bit longer to become available to WMU Libraries users, since they must be mailed from the loaning library.  Normally, they arrive by mail with in one to two weeks.

Some researchers like to use MelCat (the Michigan eLibrary catalog and resource sharing system) to see if any local libraries have the item they are looking for.  Feel free to try this, too. Sometimes MelCat books arrive sooner.  You may borrow books and DVDs through MelCat.