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Resource Guide for English Graduate Students: Purchase Requests & ILL

Finding Books in Other Libraries?

There are thousands of library catalogs out there and only one of you.

It's time for every researcher's secret weapon:

WorldCat

WorldCat contains more than 125 million records describing items owned by U.S. libraries and libraries around the world.  

These items include books, manuscripts, musical scores, films, newspapers, etc.

Right now WorldCat is changing its interface, so there are two links to WorldCat until December 2015!

Ask the Library to Purchase It...

Submit a Purchase Suggestion:

The library is always happy to purchase books and other items upon request to fulfill research needs.  Submitting a suggestion is as easy as filling out this form!

**Large ticket items will be purchased at the discretion of the subject bibliographer and may require consultation with the department.

Borrow It...

With 9 campus libraries we have a huge number of books and journals, but sometimes it's not enough...

What are my options?

Request the Item Via Interlibrary Loan (ILL):

What is ILL?

  • ILL gives you access to loans or copies of materials that the Library does not own

  • Items can be requested from across town, across the country, or around the world

  • Most items arrive in 10 days

  • There is no charge to you for this service

How do I submit a request?

  • Log in to your secure, personal ILL account and choose a request form

  • Or click on Find it at VU button, available in many databases and online catalogs, to request items as you search.  For more information about this magical button click here.