Inter-Library Loans

If you find that we don’t hold an item that you need, you can use our Inter-Library Loan service. This service provides access to books and other library material which are held at other libraries.

Please note: The Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest Library Service, would like to bring to your attention your obligations under the copyright law of the Republic of Ireland (Copyright and Other Intellectual Property Law Provisions Act 2019) which states that “A copy shall not be supplied other than to a person who satisfies the librarian, that “you” require a copy for the above mention document for the purposes of research or private study and you shall not use it for any other purpose and that you shall not be furnished with more than “one copy” of the same article.” It is the responsibility of the requestor to operate within copyright law. The library reserves the right to refuse to fill a request if, in its judgement, fulfilment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. All requests for journal articles, chapters or portions of book must be signed by the requestor.

Applying for an Inter-Library Loan

Please log into Your Library Record

• Click on Your Inter-Library Loan requests
• Create Request
• Input relevant details
• Click Create to submit a request

What can be requested?

• Books
• Journal articles
• Newspaper articles
• Magazine articles
• Dissertations or theses
• Conference proceedings
• Technical reports
• Standards

Requests will not be accepted for items available in the Library (print or online) including items on loan to other users, available for library use only, or freely available online.

Charges and allocations

Staff and postgraduates should contact library staff regarding their free allocation and charges. For material which is not covered by a free allocation, the price charged will be reflective of the charge imposed by the supplier.

Delivery

Journal articles: Earliest retrieval within 48-64 hours, though some articles can take up to a period of 5-7 working days.

Books: The delivery of books can take between 5 and 10 days. Patrons are notified by email when items are available for collection in the library. You will also be contacted by email in the event of any problem or delay in the processing of your request.

Theses: UK Ph.D. theses are generally available for purchase/download from the British Library’s EThOS service, and are not available for Inter-library loan. For theses not available through EThOS or for Masters and other types of postgraduate/undergraduate theses/dissertations, a normal application should be made.
Theses from Irish libraries (including Northern Ireland) are usually available only if the relevant University or Institute library holds a copy. Patrons are advised to check the relevant library catalogue before applying. Please note that theses can only be consulted in the library and may not be borrowed for home use.

Lost items/replacement costs

We advise all users to take particular care with items borrowed through the Inter-library loan service. Loss of such materials can incur substantial replacement costs, imposed by the supplier and which must be paid by the borrower responsible.

Inter-Campus Loan service allows active students, faculty and staff to request materials to be transferred between TUS Midwest campus libraries. Inter-Campus Loan requests can be made by:

• Email – Send a request email with full catalogue citation to interlibraryloan.midwest@tus.ie
• Phone – Call any campus library during operating hours
• In-person – Visit any TUS Midwest library’s Circulation Desk during operating hours.

If the item is on the shelf at the other library, every effort will be made to deliver it in 1-2 business days.