- Do I need a special web browser or applications to access ILLiad?
- Is there a security a problem if I use a public workstation?
- How long are my requests stored in ILLiad?
- Is there a privacy policy? How is my ILLiad data used or stored?
- Why do I sometimes see an an error about the system timing out when I'm using ILLiad?
- How do I change my pickup location for Interlibrary Borrowing loans?
- Can I request items that are listed in Barton as "On Search," "Long Overdue " or "Missing?"
- Can I request items that are checked out to another person?
- How do I place an Interlibrary Borrowing request on behalf of someone else?
- What do the ILLiad status messages mean?
- How do I renew Interlibrary Borrowing materials?
- I requested an article and downloaded the PDF file. The PDF file is illegible, missing pages, or for the wrong item. Can this be fixed?
- How do I contact Interlibrary Borrowing with questions or problems?
Do I need a special web browser or applications to access ILLiad?
You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and, preferably, one that can render cascading style sheets. See the IS&T Web Browsers at MIT page to download the current versions of the recommended browsers
Since access to ILLiad is controlled by MIT’s Touchstone, you may want to use a browser that supports MIT web certificates.
Whichever browser you choose, you will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to access the articles that you've requested in PDF format. Get Adobe Reader.
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Is there a security a problem if I use a public workstation?
To securely terminate your access to ILLiad, you must close your browser session. Access to ILLiad is controlled by MIT’s Touchstone. There is no "logoff" button, you must close your web browser.
If you forget to close ILLiad when you are done ILLiad will log you out after 3 minutes of inactivity.
See IS&T’s MIT Touchstone Service for more details.
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How long are my requests stored in ILLiad?
From time to time we purge older records from ILLiad. Completed requests are removed from your ILLiad account history after a period of approximately one year to 18 months has passed. Requests completed more than one year ago are purged from your ILLiad account in January and June of each year. Therefore, requests may remain in your request history for up to 18 months.
In order to comply with the record keeping requirements of copyright law, the requests themselves will be stored for several years, after the associated user information has been removed.
See also: ILLiad Privacy Policy
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Is there a privacy policy? How is my ILLiad data used or stored?
Please see the ILLiad Privacy Policy for more information.
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Why do I sometimes see an an error about the system timing out when I'm using ILLiad?
To protect your privacy and security, the system will terminate your session after three minutes. When this happens, the ILLiad log on screen will show up, and you'll have to enter your user name and password again to continue using the system.
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How do I change my pickup location for Interlibrary Borrowing loans?
From the ILLiad Menu, select "Change Your Information."
You'll see all of the information you entered when you registered. At the bottom of the page, you'll see a list of Delivery Locations to choose from. Select a location, and click the "Submit Information" button at the bottom of the page. Your pickup location will be changed.
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Can I request items that are listed in Barton as "On Search," "Long Overdue " or "Missing?"
Yes. Interlibrary Borrowing will process requests for items that appear to be lost from the MIT Libraries' collections. In addition to placing a request in ILLiad, we recommend that you place a hold request for an item listed as "On Search" in case it is found.
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Can I request items that are checked out to another person?
No. It is not possible to request materials from other libraries via Interlibrary Borrowing when those materials are owned by the MIT Libraries. Please see the Circulation FAQ for information on how to obtain something that has been checked out to another patron via Your Account.
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How do I place an Interlibrary Borrowing request on behalf of someone else?
MIT faculty may designate another person to check out books their behalf through the Designated Borrower Form http://libraries.mit.edu/d-borrower
If you have been approved as a designated borrower for someone else, notify the staff at the library service desk that you are a designated borrower and want to have the material checked out as a “proxy” or “designated borrower.”
When items arrive for pickup in the library or PDF downloading from ILLiad, notifications from ILLiad are always sent to the email address associated with the person who made the ILLiad request, regardless of designated borrower status.
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What do the ILLiad status messages mean?
ILLiad will update you on the status of your requests at any time, when you select "View Active Requests" from the ILLiad Menu.
Explanations of the various ILLiad status messages, such as "Awaiting Copyright Clearance," or "Awaiting Post Receipt Processing," are available in the the ILLiad Glossary.
If you're still unsure about when your request will arrive, send us your question through the Ask ILB form.
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How do I renew Interlibrary Borrowing materials?
If the sticker or strap on the front of an Interlibrary Borrowing item says that a renewal is possible, please log in to ILLiad and select "Renew Checked Out Items" from the ILLiad Menu. A one-time renewal for 14 days is possible.
Once you have requested a renewal through ILLiad, Interlibrary Borrowing staff will manually update your MIT Libraries account. Courtesy notices will continue to be sent until this occurs
If the item you'd like to renew does not appear in the list of items in ILLiad, please contact Interlibrary Borrowing through the Ask ILB form.
Renewals are not always possible. If the sticker or strap on the front of an Interlibrary Borrowing item says that a renewal is not possible, please return the material prior to its due date, and make another request for the item.
Please note:
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I requested an article and downloaded the PDF file. The PDF file is illegible, missing pages, or for the wrong item. Can this be fixed?
Articles are received electronically and automatically posted to ILLiad without staff review (in order to get them to you as soon as possible).
If you notice that the wrong article was sent to you, pages are missing, or the text is otherwise illegible, e-mail us at ilb-lib@mit.edu as soon as you discover the error. We will contact the lending library to get it fixed right away.
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How do I contact Interlibrary Borrowing with questions or problems?
For other MIT Libraries related questions or problems: