All U of I students are eligible to borrow books from the University Library collections. The Library will mail physical books from our collection to students taking part in Illinois Online programs. Distance learners living in or near Illinois can also use I-Share to pick up books from a participating institution near them. Distance learners living outside of Illinois but near another university may want to review our Reciprocal Borrowing Agreements. 

This page provides distance learners with information on how to find, request, and borrow print and electronic books from the University Library and I-Share, a statewide consortium of academic libraries.  For comprehensive information on loan policies and borrowing privileges, consult Borrowing Services Overview.

Print Books 

The University of Illinois Library will mail books from our collection to students enrolled in Illinois Online programs. Delivery is free, but students are responsible for return shipping fees. You must have a valid i-Card to borrow library books.

If you only need a chapter or two and want to avoid paying postage to return the book, consider using our Document Delivery service. Students living near another I-Share institution can also return books locally. 

eBooks 
In addition to print books, the University Library's collections include many e-books that you can access from anywhere with your NetID and password. You can find most of our e-books by searching the Library catalog. The Library's guide to Finding and Using E-Books has more information on locating electronic resources in our collections. 

If you are having trouble accessing an e-book, consult Connecting to Library Resources from Off-Campus. Please note that access to some e-book titles may be restricted to a limited number of simultaneous users or limit downloads. Usually, an e-book's landing page will have information about specific access limits. If you have questions about accessing an e-book, don't hesitate to Ask a Librarian. 

I-Share 

If you live in or near Illinois, you may be near an I-Share member library. If so, you can borrow items onsite or order books and have them sent to that library free of charge. Refer to this map to see all if you live near an I-Share library. You may also return books to I-Share libraries free of charge. 

I-Share books usually take about 5-10 days to arrive at the pick-up library, and you will receive an email at your @illinois.edu address when your request is available for pickup. I-Share is a free service for University of Illinois students and staff.

I-Share is a great resource if the book you need is not in our collection or if another patron has checked the book out. Complete instructions for searching and requesting books from the I-Share catalog are available in our guide to Using the Library Catalog. 

Watch the video below or refer to our written instructions to learn how to request that a physical book from the library catalog be mailed to you. The video also covers how to request scans of book chapters through the Document Delivery service. 

Instructions

1. Use the library catalog to locate and verify the availability of a book. The Using the Library Catalog library guide contains detailed instructions for logging into your library account, searching the catalog, and requesting and renewing items. 
2. Check to see if the book is available.
3. If the item is available, click on the "Request" link under the "Get It" section.
4. Fill out the request form. From the "Preferred Local Pickup Location" dropdown menu,  select “ILL Lending Extramural Grad” from the options under the Library Location drop-down menu.
5. In the Notes field, add the course number for the book you have requested and verify your shipping address.
6. Submit your request!

After you have placed your request, you will receive the book by UPS within 10-14 days.  Books will be mailed to the address listed in your Self-Service Account. Click on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to log into the correct system and to see which address is associated with your account. 

Returning Books 

You are responsible for returning books you have checked out and insuring the shipment of books by the due date listed for the book in your library account.  Return books via U.S. Mail, UPS, or FedEx to the following address:

Interlibrary Loan / Document Delivery
128 Main Library; MC-522
1408 W. Gregory Dr.
Urbana, IL 61801

If you check out a book and it is lost in the mail, you are responsible for the replacement charges. Central Access Services' lost and overdue items policy has complete information on fines and replacement fees.