Requesting Items from Other Libraries

STEP 1

Check the ALADIN Catalog to see if the item is available at your nearest GW library: Gelman (Foggy Bottom), Eckles (Mt Vernon), or Northern Virginia. If it is, you should retrieve the item from the stacks for check-out. If it is not, go on to STEP 2.

• If you need assistance using the catalog, there are several things you can do:
  • Ask for help at the Reference Desk at your nearest GW library.
  • Go to Ask a Librarian for assistance via live chat or email.
  • Consult the tutorials Using the Catalog to Find a Book or How to Find Periodicals.

STEP 2

After you have verified that the item is not available at your library, check the catalog to see if the item is available at another GW Library or at a library in the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC).

• If the item is available at another GW or WRLC library, request the item through the WRLC Catalog. See Consortium Loan Service for instructions on how to request items and details about the service. Materials will be available in approximately 2-5 business days. This service is only available for students, faculty, and staff WRLC member institutions.

  Watch a short video on how to request books from a consortium library here.

• If the item is not available at another GW or WRLC library, go on to STEP 3.

STEP 3

If the item is not available (no "available" copies are in the catalog), then you will need to use Interlibrary Borrowing Form to obtain a copy of it. The form is available at the Interlibrary Loan page. Materials will be available in approximately 1-3 weeks. This service is only available for GW students, faculty, and staff*.

• *GW students, faculty, and staff in the Schools of Law or Medicine should contact the Jacob Burns Law Library or Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library for consortium loan and interlibrary loan services.

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