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University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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ESL Graduate Student Guide

A guide to the University Library for English as a Second Language graduate students.

Step 1: Search For Books at the University of Illinois

The first step is to search whether we have the book you are looking for at the University of Illinois Libraries. You can do this by searching the online library catalog.

If you know either the title or the name of the author, you can enter this directly into the search box. Alternatively, you may wish to search by subject.

When you locate your item you have two choices.

1) You can request the item and pick it up or have it delivered from any of the departmental libraries.

2) You can retrieve the book yourself from either the Main Stacks or the departmental library where the book is located. If you choose this option, make sure you write down the location and call number of the item.

Step 2: Find Books at Other Illinois Libraries Through I-Share

If the book you are looking for is not located in the University of Illinois catalog or all copies of it are checked out, search the I-Share catalog to see if one of the participating institutions has a copy for you to borrow. I-Share is a group of over 75 libraries in Illinois.

The process is the same for requesting an item in the I-Share catalog as it is for the University of Illinois catalog. Items typically arrive within 5-10 days and you will receive an email when the item is available for pick up. I-Share does NOT lend e-books.

Step 3: Find Books Across the U.S. and Worldwide Through Interlibrary Loan

If the item is not available in the Illinois catalog and it is not available through I-Share, then your next stop will be Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery. 

Check out the Interlibrary Loan FAQ to learn more.

1) Keep your full citation handy -- you'll need it. 

2) Login to the ILLiad server using your NetID and password. From the ILLiad main menu, select "Request a Book." Be sure to fill out as much of the form as possible, in particular the fields marked with an asterisk (*). This will ensure that ILL can place your request in a timely manner.

3) You'll be notified by email when your item is ready to be picked up. Remember - you'll need to pickup and drop off your item at the Main Stacks for all interlibrary loan materials.

Finding Books in Other Languages

The University of Illinois Libraries has books in many languages. Follow the steps below to find a book in a specific language.

1) Go to the online library catalog and click on the Advanced Search link to the right of the search box.

2) Under Language, select the language you are looking for in the drop-down menu.

4) If you want to limit your search to books, select Books from the drop-down menu under Material Type. This is located directly above the language option. 

5) Enter your search terms in the search fields, and select Search. Your search search results will be limited to items in the language you have selected.