Interlibrary Loan FAQs

Borrowed ILL materials may be returned to:

• The Circulation Desk when it is open.
• Library Book drop located in the Law Library Lobby when the Circulation Desk is closed (as long as the material is not fragile).
• Library Book Drop box on fifth floor of McDonough (as long as the material is not fragile).
• Library return bins behind the reception desk in Office of Journal Administration (Williams 170) if borrowed by a journal office.
• Outdoor book drop, located outside of the campus iron gates, by the Law Library building on the corner of New Jersey Avenue and G Street, when the Circulation Desk is closed (as long as the material is not fragile).

Georgetown Law faculty should not return ILL materials through campus mail as it could take almost a week for items to reach the Law Library. A book is not marked as returned until it reaches the ILL office. The law faculty will be responsible for any losses or damages that occur while an ILL book is in campus mail.

We do not recommend returning any ILL books, requested through your Law Library ILLiad account, to the main campus library's circulation desk. That desk would not have the ability to access our ILLiad system to update your record and is not responsible for returning the library book to its rightful owner. Out of courtesy, the main campus circulation desk will route your ILL book to this Law Library's ILL office for proper return processing. However, transit time may be a few days. A book is not marked as returned until it reaches the Law Library's ILL Office. You will remain liable for the ILL book until this Law Library ILL service receives it to check in properly.

Do not remove the paper strap wrapped around the ILL book's cover. That strap contains all the necessary information that assists this ILL service (and others) to properly check your returned ILL book. Without that ILL book cover strap, there is nothing to visually distinguish your returned ILL book from the hundreds of library books handled by the Law Library's Circulation Desk staff. If you remove the ILL book strap, you remain liable for issues that may arise from any check-in delay or book misplacement by library staff.