To get a book not owned by Columbia University, use the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service. Current CUIMC students, faculty, and staff can request that the Health Sciences Library to borrow books from other libraries at no charge to you.

Preliminary Steps

1. Check the library catelog CLIO to make sure the book is not available at Columbia University.
2. Check Borrow Direct for faster access and delivery (for books only) than the ILL service.

Submitting an Interlibrary Loan Request

1. Visit ILLiad, Columbia's ILL service.
2. If this is your first request in this system, you’ll need to register.
3. On the left-hand side, click on "Order a Book" under New Request.
4. Complete as much of the book citation information as possible. The following fields are required:
   1. Book Title
   2. Author
5. Review the information and click "Submit Request" at the bottom of the page.

ILL books are usually available within 1-2 weeks of the request, but may take longer, depending on the location of the library fulfilling the request. You will receive an e-mail when the book is available. The loan period varies based on the policies of the lending institution.

Relevant Resources

• CLIO - CLIO is the online catalog for Columbia University Libraries.
• Borrow Direct - Borrow Direct is a service to request books from partner research libraries. Because books are delivered more quickly through this system, you should try your search in Borrow Direct before using the ILLiad system.
• ILLiad - ILLiad is the Interlibrary Loan service we use at the Health Sciences Library.