Georgetown Law
Georgetown Law Library

Interlibrary Loan Instructions for Journal Staff

Interlibrary Loan Instructions for Journal Staff

Where to submit an Interlibrary Loan request

Submit requests through the Law Library's ILLiad System. The link to the page can be found under Student Resources on the Law Library's home page.

Be Careful: Do not mistakenly submit an ILLiad request through main campus Lauinger Library's version of the ILL system (accessed through Lauinger Library web pages). If you do, then this Law Library ILL service will not be able to assist you if you have any questions or concerns about your request. Lauinger Library will have oversight of any services you request and obtain from them. Lauinger Library's ILL policies & their ILLiad system and this Law Library's ILL policies & our ILLiad system are not interchangeable.

Lauinger Library's ILL service does not accept journal office ILLiad accounts.

Tips: To avoid mistaking Lauinger Library's ILL with this ILL service, always start with your Law Library's home page to seek out library services. Bookmark the page!

The Law Library's ILLiad system URL will start with gulaw.hosts.atlas-sys.com. Main campus Lauinger Library's ILLiad system URL will start with: illiad.library.georgetown.edu. Do not Google "Georgetown ILL" and expect to be correctly led to the Law Library's ILLiad system.

When to Use Interlibrary Loan Service as a Journal Staff

  • For a book, use ILL service if the Law Library does not own a copy, or has a copy that is checked out, lost or missing, or does not provide access to an e-version, or if there are no available copies at local academic libraries, or the only copies are housed exclusively at the local law libraries.
    • While in Advanced Search, Journal Finder or Search by Citation, click on the Interlibrary Loan tab to access ILLiad, or use the Request book, chapter, or article through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) option in a catalog record.
  • For an (journal, newspaper) article, use ILL service if the Law Library does not own the journal or newspaper in print / microfilm, or offer a full-text electronically.
    • While in Advanced Search, Journal Finder or Search by Citation, click on the Interlibrary Loan tab to access ILLiad, or use the Request book, chapter, or article through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) option in a catalog record.

Interlibrary Loan Service Does Not Make Scans on Behalf of Law Center Patrons

  • This ILL service will not scan the content from physical materials, e.g., books, journal issues, etc. found in the Law Library. ILL requests submitted by you for scans out of available Law Library physical materials will be cancelled.
  • This ILL service will not scan the content from a book that you have borrowed through ILL, or from local academic libraries.
  • The Law Library has two dedicated book scanners, in the Reading Room's Business Lounge, that you may use for free to scan materials. However, every Xerox printer found on campus can also make free scans.
  • The Law Library also has a digital microformat scanner that you may use to view and scan content from our microfilm or microfiche collection.

How to Search For a Citation

Check first if the material is not readily available at or accessible through the Law Library or local academic libraries.

Finding Print Books, Georgetown Licensed E-books, Videos on DVDs & Physical Items

Policy 1: Your editor permits you to check out all physical items under your own account Policy 2: Your editor instructs you to use only the journal's account for all non-Law Library physical items
  1. Georgetown U. + Local Academic Libraries Search or Book Search by Citation. Search for book or item title.
  2. After finding a matching catalog record, sign in with your NetID & Password, submit a Request from a local academic library. Select Georgetown University Law Library as a Pick-up Institution.
  3. If you receive a local loan cancellation notice after submitting a request, then in the catalog record submit a Request book, chapter, or article through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and sign into the appropriate ILLiad account.
  4. If there is no exact, matching record, then submit an ILL request via ILLiad. There is an Interlibrary Loan tab in the top menu bar in Advanced Search and Search by Citation.
  1. WorldCat. Search for book or item title.
  2. A green "Georgetown Law Library" icon in a matching record may mean that the library owns a copy. Check for availability by following steps outlined in Policy 1.
  3. If a green icon does not appear, then in the matching record click on gray "Click here to request via ILL." Sign into ILLiad with your journal's username & password.

Free Digitized Books

  • HathiTrust: Publications that fall in the public domain may be freely downloaded. Text searching can be performed in those publications that do not fall into full-view access.
  • Internet Archive (IA): Publications that fall in the public domain may be freely downloaded. Internet Archive books may be checked out by registering for a free personal account. Some loans may offer PDF options. Check Tips for Journal Staff: Technology Tips in this guide to take advantage of even the non-PDF IA digitized books.

Since the Law Library is unaffiliated with neither HathiTrust nor Internet Archive, we are unable to guarantee or address any instances where the digitized collection becomes unavailable.

Non-Georgetown Licensed Electronic or Online Books & ILL

  • ILL libraries do not "lend" their subscription credentials that would grant you direct access to their licensed electronic or online books.
  • Neither this ILL service nor the Law Library would purchase access for you.
  • If you submit a request to "borrow" an electronic or online, this service will submit the request to ILL libraries to borrow the printed version with the closest copyright date.

Non-Georgetown Licensed Video Files and Streaming Videos & ILL

  • ILL libraries do not "lend" video files, or their subscription credentials that would grant you access to their streaming services.
  • Neither this ILL service nor the Law Library would purchase for you.
  • An ILL request for a video or film title will be submitted to ILL libraries by us to borrow a physical DVD, or even a VHS tape. If you need to borrow audiovisual equipment to view such borrowed formats, please consult the Circulation Desk.
  • If the video, film, etc. is available only through streaming services, such as original works produced by Netflix,

Check Also...

But Wait! Is The Book Even Real? section in the Source Collection Information for Journal Staff guide.

Finding Access to Georgetown Licensed Electronic & Printed Articles & Publications:

Searching by the Journal or Newspaper Publication Title Options: Searching by the Article Title Options:
  • Journal Finder: The results may include the Law Library's holdings of print volumes which can be helpful in locating articles that do not exist in electronic format.
  • Journal Search by Citation: Click on "Journal" before entering information.
  • Article Search by Citation:  You may also search by article title in this search engine.
If a print copy cannot be located or electronic version cannot be accessed, then submit an ILL request through ILLiad. There is an Interlibrary Loan tab in the top menu bar in addition to the Request book, chapter, or article through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) option in a catalog record. Sign into ILLiad using the account preferred by your editor. If a print copy cannot be located or electronic version cannot be accessed, then submit an ILL request through ILLiad. There is an Interlibrary Loan tab in the top menu bar in addition to the Request book, chapter, or article through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) option in a catalog record. Sign into ILLiad using the account preferred by your editor.

Non-Georgetown Licensed Online Article Subscriptions & ILL

  • ILL libraries do not "lend" their subscription credentials that would grant you direct access to their licensed online articles subscription.
  • This ILL service submits a request for a copy of the article from ILL libraries that have either the print journal issue, from which they would scan the pages of the article and send to you as PDF to you, or purchased a license to an online subscription that (a) permits content sharing with us and (b) does not have an embargo that excludes the requested article.
    • If these exact conditions do not exist among ILL libraries, then it is not possible to obtain a copy of the article through this ILL service.
    • Consult your editor under such circumstances.
  • This ILL service cannot guarantee that the article's contextual appearance would resemble a printed version, i.e., with separated and numbered pages. Sometimes, due to licenses, distribution policies, publishing timelines and embargoes, the only format that may exist at ILL libraries a particular time is an HTML / dot-com format, or a transcribed, non-paginated text.
    • This ILL service cannot obtain a copy of an article in a format that does not exist at the time of the request, or may never exist.
    • The Bluebook accommodates dot com publications.
  • Chances of a successful ILL clues?:
    • If this Law Library's online license to a journal has an embargo that excludes your article, then it's safe to assume that ILL libraries' licenses will also have the very same restrictions and they will be unable to supply you a copy from their electronic subscription. This ILL service would only be able to resort to ILL libraries that may still purchase a print issue subscription, which reduces the number of potential suppliers of your requested article.
    • Dot-com only articles, accessible only through a personal, pay-wall membership and not via institutional licenses, is not the type of publication that ILL libraries carry, or can download and share content with us. This ILL service usually cannot obtain copies of such direct-to-individual-consumer publication products.

Law Library Research Guide

In-depth source collection methodologies are found in the Source Collection Instructions for Journal Staff guide.

Check Also ...

Checking Out Law Library Books in Your Name or to Journal's Library Shelf

If your editor permits you to check out books in your name, then
  • Bring the Law Library book to the Circulation Desk to check it out under your library account.
  • Loan period is six weeks, renewable three times.
  • Recalls apply to all books checked out to you. You, not your journal, will be held accountable for any overdue fines, recall fees or lost book costs.
  • You can also place a Hold for Pickup Request in the catalog for an "available" Law Library stacks book.
  • Check More Library Services to Assist You: Hold for Pickup Service for more information.
  • For questions, reach out to the Circulation Desk, at lawcirc@georgetown.edu, 202-662-9131.
If you are instructed by your editor to not check out books in your name, then
  • Bring the Law Library book to the Circulation Desk to check it out under your journal's library shelf, located on 4th Floor West.
  • Check More Library Services to Assist You: Library Shelves for Journal for more information.
  • You can also place a Hold for Pickup Request in the catalog for an "available" Law Library stacks book. When you visit the Circulation Desk to pickup the held book, you can ask to have it checked out to your journal's library shelf.
  • Check More Library Services to Assist You: Hold for Pickup Service for more information.
  • For questions, reach out to the Circulation Desk, at lawcirc@georgetown.edu, 202-662-9131.

Local Academic Libraries Loan Service for Journal Staff

If your editor permits you to check books out in your name, then
  • Place a Request book, chapter, or article through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) order through the a catalog record. When the loan arrives at the Law Library, you will be notified by the Circulation Desk.
  • Check More Library Services to Assist You: Local Academic Loan for more information.
  • For questions, reach out to the Circulation Desk, at lawcirc@georgetown.edu, 202-662-9131.
If you are instructed by your editor to not check out books in your name, then
  • Submit an ILL request through your journal's ILLiad account.
  • There are no journal proxy accounts for Local Academic Libraries.