In addition to HKALL, all staff, postgraduates and UGC-funded undergraduate students of the University can obtain study and research materials that are not available within our Library, including books, journal articles, book chapters etc. by using the Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL). The Library will fill the requests from both other local and overseas libraries. Please refer to the following for details:
Free Request Quota
| User Groups | Journal articles from UGC libraries | Books from UGC libraries | Books not available at UGC libraries | Journal articles not available at UGC libraries | Free loan quota (all types combined) in one academic term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff and Postgraduate Students (UGC-funded) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 100 |
| UGC-funded Final Year and Non-final Year Students / Non UGC-funded Postgraduate Students | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Lingnan University Self-funded Students | Yes | No | No | Yes | 10 |
| Eligible LIFE Students | Yes | No | No | Yes | 10 |
How to Place the Request
For staff, postgraduates and final year students, please place requests through the ILLiad System.
When the requested library material is available, you will receive an email notification.
- For journal articles or book chapters which are in PDF format, you can simply download the file from web link listed in the notification email or login to the ILLiad system.
- For ILL book items, they will be delivered to the Service Counter for checkout. Staff can request the Library to deliver the requested library materials to their Department within the University by using the Office Delivery Service.
Cost
In normal circumstance, this service is free of charge. However, the Library reserves the right to charge for expensive items obtained from overseas libraries. In those circumstances, the user will be notified before the request is proceeded.
The Turnaround Time
Requests for book loans available in local libraries will normally take 1-2 weeks; overseas requests will normally require 2-4 weeks. Users will be notified when the requested items arrive.