They are both ways to obtain books from other libraries. If a book is owned by one of the other I-Share libraries in Illinois, then patrons are required to request from them first. The patron requests the book directly from the online catalog (I-Share Catalog). If the book is not available, or has been requested and not filled by an I-Share library, then patrons may request it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department will then request the book from libraries outside the I-Share system.

Charges for Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services are subsidized by Brookens Library and not passed on to the user. However, users are responsible for the cost of shipping materials back to Brookens Library if returned by mail. Loans obtained via Interlibrary Loan (ILL) become the borrower's responsibility from the time of receipt until the material is physically returned to Brookens Library. Users will be responsible for costs incurred due to lost or damaged items.

The charge for a lost book is $75. Lost book fees are waived upon return of the item in good condition; or you can purchase a replacement of the lost book.

More information about our fines and fees policy,.

More information about providing a replacement copy.

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is mediated service that enables the library to obtain books and articles from other libraries across the country and occasionally internationally. Through this service, Brookens Library assists the scholarly research of UIS faculty, students, and staff.

Peer-review refers to a specific editing and approval process of an academic or scholarly publication. If an article has been "peer-reviewed" that means it was reviewed for publication by a panel of other experts in the subject area, this process is done to ensure that the final study is of academic quality

Not every academic article will have gone through a peer review process. You can learn more about peer-reviewed articles and other sources in our video, Popular vs. Scholarly Sources.

Things happen!

If you've lost or damaged an item, fill out the claim below. One of our staff members will reach out to you to discuss some options.

Ultimately, we want to ensure that our patrons have access to important texts. So we may require you to replace library materials. For more information about replacement, please see our replacement FAQ.

Scholarly articles typically include:

• a list of authors and their affiliations
• an abstract (summary)
• an introduction
• charts, graphs, equations
• methods
• results
• a conclusion
• a bibliography
• scholarly language
• written by an author that is an expert in the field (PhD, etc).
• Here's an interactive image of "The Anatomy of a Scholarly Article" created by NCSU Libraries.

If while trying to do research or accessing an article you encounter an error that says "Forbidden, you are not entitled to access this resource," visit our Databases A-Z list and try accessing the database you're looking for from there.

University students, faculty, and staff can borrow home and kitchen items, board games, and technology equipment. The Library of Things page contains a complete catalog of available items.

A month view of hours is available on the library hours page.